Classics relevant today?

[TIGER999]

Do you think some/many/most classics are still relevant today? If so, which one(s) are perhaps most relevant?
And why?

[panaginip]

Animal Farm by George Orwell!

[TIGER999]

I agree! I also thought of 1984, Brave New World, & To Kill a Mockingbird...among others, of which I'm sure there are many!

[Harmony Hills]

Of course it is. Classics have the touch of inspiration and morale that every kids will love and bury in their hearts. If i have my own kids, the first book they'll read will be classics.

[TIGER999]

Which classics books would you recommend?

[Harmony Hills]

To Kill a Mockingbird is one, but i recommend Anne by L.M. Montgomery most of the time

[TIGER999]

Yes...I read all of the Anne of Green Gables series & spin-offs. They were so good then...but haven't re-read them since I was a teenager. Girls these days are still reading these books, along with Nancy Drew (my fav), Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Cherry Ames etc.

[uyky]

A lot of classics are about feelings, not just political and social views. And those are always relevant. The only one I can remember right now is Crime and Punishment. I know it includes all of the above, but it is possible to move it to almost any era and it is still relevant. I think a lot of classics are the same in this way. Thoughts and feelings count and teach us.

[Lincolnshirelass]

Of course I would have to say that my beloved 'Jane Eyre' is still relevant today; but I genuinely believe it is, as a portrait of a woman discovering her independence in a sometimes hostile world whilst still being true to her heart. I also agree with what people have said about 'To Kill a Mockingbird', 'Brave New World' and '1984'. At first glance, the cited children's books, though hugely enjoyable, would seem less 'relevant', but then again, they remind us that children's wishes and fears and pleasures remain the same over the ages.

[Emma13]

A lot of classics are about feelings, not just political and social views. And those are always relevant.

I would agree with this. The places and politics might change but people are still largely the same now as they were hundreds of years ago. You just have to read Shakespeare or the Greeks to see that. Sometimes I think it's very helpful to discover these parallels - it takes us out of our obsession with the present and helps put our lives in context.

[pinefamily]

To Kill A Mockingbird, Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World, Heart of Darkness, All Quiet On The Western Front, Plato's The Republic, Albert Camus' The Outsider.
And that's just off the top of my head.

[Yung Senpai]

I think all classics are relevant in someway, since the main requirement for a classic to be a classic is the timeless factor, that makes it keep its quality despite the age it has been written.

[DATo]

All stories are "relevant". Someone once said there are only five stories and each new story is simply a variation of one of them. Shakespearian plays have been presented using modern-day backgrounds and have been just as relevant (as a story) in contemporary times as the play was when it was first written. Perhaps what you meant was "Are classics as well received and appreciated today as in the past?" I think classics are classics for a reason, namely because they have withstood the test of time. After all of our current literary fads have disappeared into the void the classics will still be there and, I should add, new classics are being added to the list with each passing decade.

It just occurred to me that "new classics" is an oxymoron ... but ... you know what I meant I'm sure.

[tariq sparrow]

There are numerous reasons that classical literature is relevant today.

The foremost reason being that the themes of the classics are still easy to relate to today. From jealousy, searching for meaning, love and death e.g. While the times and settings may be different, unsurprisingly, the emotions people feel are the same. People enjoy being able to relate to characters in books they read. Personally, I mostly relate to Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Hopefully that tells you all you need to know about me.

[SLD]

I agree that "Animal Farm," "Brave New World," and "1984" are all books probably relevant to our society today. I read them all in jr. high years ago, but would like to read them again, from a 21st century adult perspective.