Runs with scissors discussion

What makes a book a classic? Does it have to be older than say 20 years? or older? You hear about instant classics, but what makes them so? All thougts are welcome.

I think that a classic is a work that will be still read over and over again by many generations. Like Homer or Dante, the works have to corolate to the world at large, at the time it was written and still be able to speak to the world at large several years afterward. For example, 1984 or Brave New World. When these books were written, each was a concept so far fetched,, that no one thought it could come true, yet we use the phrase "Big Brother is watching" in some shape or form to this day and we are capeable of genetic altering and custom design of humans. So, what makes a work an instant classic? Something that is popular at the moment like Twilight? or is it something more lasting?

Yes Kim,
A classic doesn't give one just a temporary high, one brief moment of excitment or intrigue, its a book that still excites 10 yrs later, still scares you, or makes you laugh, or cry, one that can still teach a valuable lesson years later, the concepts of which are still of value to society, containing a message, or offering entertainment for any generation!

A classic can bring a thrill to your heart no matter how many times you have read it. I have gone through two sets of the Narnian Chronicles, and still enjoy reading them as much as when I first discovered them over 30 years ago. True classics are timeless, even if they have elements that date them chronologically.

O.K., so does a book's author have to be dead or can a book be considered a classic while they are still alive? For example, "Catcher In The Rye". Salinger was a recluse, but still alive when the book reached classic status. Does the book have to have been contraversial to have impact? For example, "The DaVinci Code" is considered contraversial, but will it obtain classic status? Or should the "His Dark Materials" series(a.k.a "The Golden Compass trilogy) by Phillip Pullman be considered classics because they fall under the perview of making you think? The messages in those books are just as thought worthy as say Harry Potter, which is being hailed as a modern classic. So is age what makes a book a classic? What about modern and instant classic classifications? Or do you think that society is over using the word, like awsome or fantastic have been so over-used, the orginal meaning of the words has been changed?

I think classic status is achieved primarily through longevity...will it reach and touch current as well as FUTURE readers? I think contraversy is a key factor for some books...as a lot of the books now considered classic were once thought of as "Dirty" or as "heresy".