Of Mice and Men

Do you tend to enjoy classic literature, or tend to enjoy more modern writing?

  • Classic Literature

    Votes: 5 17.9%

  • Modern Writing

    Votes: 15 53.6%

  • I am Illiterate. I humbly apologize, but I do not understand written language.

    Votes: 8 28.6%
  • Total voters
    28
I’ve enjoyed a few “classic”s, but I couldn’t  read exclusively from that category. 
i should have answered modern I guess 🤔 

 
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When people say classic works I instantly think Dickens, Jane Austen etc.  I am not certain if there is a universally accepted definition of the descriptor 'classic' in literature.  The age of a work seems to me a fairly important aspect of what constitutes 'classic' literature, while Wikipaedia uses the terms exemplary and noteworthy, of which there are many many works produced within the last 50 years.  Is a modern piece of writing deemed so because it is young, or just because it is not deemed classic?  Is there a point where a piece of literature is deemed classic purely because of its age even if it lacks noteworthiness?  I do not have the answers, but I'm sure there must be a student of literature here somewhere willing to contribute :)

 
Etat said:
When people say classic works I instantly think Dickens, Jane Austen etc.  I am not certain if there is a universally accepted definition of the descriptor 'classic' in literature.  The age of a work seems to me a fairly important aspect of what constitutes 'classic' literature, while Wikipaedia uses the terms exemplary and noteworthy, of which there are many many works produced within the last 50 years.  Is a modern piece of writing deemed so because it is young, or just because it is not deemed classic?  Is there a point where a piece of literature is deemed classic purely because of its age even if it lacks noteworthiness?  I do not have the answers, but I'm sure there must be a student of literature here somewhere willing to contribute :)
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There's not really, at least to my knowledge. I would agree with you on thinking of things like Dickens and Austen, Plath, the Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Poe, etc as classics. There is also the category of "modern classics", or basically widely celebrated books that people think will become classics but aren't quite old enough yet, I suppose.

https://bookriot.com/100-must-read-modern-classics/

 
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Nizam Adrienne said:
There's not really, at least to my knowledge. I would agree with you on thinking of things like Dickens and Austen, Plath, the Bronte sisters, Shakespeare, Poe, etc as classics. There is also the category of "modern classics", or basically widely celebrated books that people think will become classics but aren't quite old enough yet, I suppose.

https://bookriot.com/100-must-read-modern-classics/
Click to expand...
I picked classics in the poll, and have fixated a bit on the definition of 'classic', however I think really I enjoy reading modern literature; more early to mid 20th century stuff than recent works though.

 
Depends on the writing style. I generally like more straightforward prose than the over embellished "in love with the sound of their own voice" style of the 19th century.

 
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