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Classic or just Fiction?

© Paul Landkamer

When we read reviews of books, we sometimes run across the phrase, "destined to become a classic" or something like it. Just what does that mean?

Did Melville's family throw a big party the day Moby Dick became a classic? Was there singing in the streets of the villages of the Nana province of Russia when the stigma of mere fiction was lifted from Tolstoy's works and they were dubbed classic? Do authors like Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts consciously decide they're going to write sleazy fiction instead of classics? Will the Harry Potter books take a place along side Charlotte's Web and Little House on the Prairie as children's classics? Are Charlotte's Web and Little House even officially classics? Where is that line between mere fiction and bona fide classic?

The difference between classic and fiction or literature and fiction isn't as obvious as the differences between the Sistine Chapel's ceiling and a black velvet Elvis or a Duesenberg and an Edsel. I've asked numerous librarians, English and literature teachers and even less formally educated types, "What makes fiction classic or what's the difference between popular fiction and true literature (Yeah, I know: technically, it's all literature.)?" I've gotten many, "I don't know"s and "I've never really given it much thought"s. Since the experts didn't know, I thought I'd do some digging and develop my own definition.

The first step is to see what dictionaries say about classic and literature. To avoid an Americanized slant, I'll reference both Webster and the Oxford Universal Dictionary. Only definitions, as I feel they apply to our topic, will be noted.

Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary calls "classic," '1. of the first or highest quality, class or rank... 2. serving as a standard... 3. pertaining to Greek or Roman antiquity, esp. with reference to literature and art... 7. of enduring interest, quality, or style... 8. of literary or historical renown...' The Oxford Universal Dictionary calls "classic" 'A. adj. 1. Of the first rank or authority; standard, leading. 2. Of the standard Greek and Latin writers... B. sb 1. A writer, or work, of the first rank and of acknowledged excellence... 3. One who adheres to classical rules and models.' So in order to be called classic, a work needs to be of the highest quality and acknowledged as such. According to Webster, the work needs to have withstood the test of time. So, to shorten the definition of classic even more, a work needs to be excellent and old. We'll now go on to defining literature.

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