Modern day classics
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Infiltrator
Member # 3441
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written Monday, March 27 2006 06:39
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I was reading the classics topic, and was wondering, what authors/books from the last twenty years will come to be considered classics. When I use the term classic, I mean books that will be universally recognized by future generations. Any thoughts? -------------------- "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it." --Albert Einstein -------------------- Posts: 536 | Registered: Sunday, September 7 2003 07:00 |
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Warrior
Member # 6759
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written Monday, March 27 2006 08:31
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harry potter Posts: 77 | Registered: Wednesday, February 1 2006 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6489
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written Monday, March 27 2006 10:06
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I think Steven King, Michael Crichton, and Dean Koontz will all be well-known long after their deaths. -------------------- "You're drinking liquor because you're thirsty? How nasty is your freaking water?" —Lazarus Spiderweb Chat Room Avernum RP • Summaries • OoC • Roster Shadow Vale - My site, home of the Spiderweb Chat Database, BoA Scenario Database, & the A1 Quest List, among other things. Posts: 1556 | Registered: Sunday, November 20 2005 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, March 27 2006 10:10
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I'll buy Harry Potter, and Stephen King. Not sure about the others. Stanislaw Lem. Requiescat in pace. [ Monday, March 27, 2006 11:44: Message edited by: Student of Trinity ] -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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By Committee
Member # 4233
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written Monday, March 27 2006 11:56
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Patrick O'Brian, although some of those works are from outside the twenty-year window. Rushdie, for 'The Satanic Verses" on account of the fatwah, if nothing else. Posts: 2242 | Registered: Saturday, April 10 2004 07:00 |
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Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
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written Monday, March 27 2006 11:59
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Being well-known does make something a classic. I don't buy Harry Potter as a classic, myself. -------------------- Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 6652
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written Monday, March 27 2006 12:56
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I'll assume that you meant being well-known doesn't make something a classic. Anyway, Harry Potter goes deeper than you think. The sixth book is admittedly a horror and disgrace to everything JK has ever stood for, but the other ones, particularly 3, are phenomenal. Look at some of the discussions in Mugglnet's forums. -------------------- But I don't want to ride the elevator. Posts: 420 | Registered: Sunday, January 8 2006 08:00 |
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Electric Sheep One
Member # 3431
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written Monday, March 27 2006 13:05
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I didn't think the sixth book was bad at all. It does look a bit as though Rowling has painted herself into a corner, but that's just how a book 6 should look in the best case, so I'm assuming she'll pull it off in the end. -------------------- We're not doing cool. We're doing pretty. Posts: 3335 | Registered: Thursday, September 4 2003 07:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 6193
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written Monday, March 27 2006 13:09
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The only modern literature I read is science fiction. I've read Heinlein, Clarke, Asimov, and Tolkien, who are considered some of the best writers of the genre. If these aren't considered classics yet, then I think they soon should be. I also like Orson Scott Card's books, and think they are as good as a lot of the above writers works. So I'll throw his books out there in the discussion as well. -------------------- Guaranteed to blow your mind. Frostbite: Get It While It's...... Hot? Posts: 900 | Registered: Monday, August 8 2005 07:00 |
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Off With Their Heads
Member # 4045
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written Monday, March 27 2006 13:14
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Tolkien didn't write any proper science fiction, did he? I thought he was strictly fantasy. And yes, I agree that Orson Scott Card is one of the best writers of recent years. EDIT: And if we define "classic" as "not stupid to reference as literature on a standardized test" (which, as far as I'm concerned, is good enough :P ), Tolkien, Clarke, and others are already there. [ Monday, March 27, 2006 13:18: Message edited by: Kelandon ] -------------------- Arancaytar: Every time you ask people to compare TM and Kel, you endanger the poor, fluffy kittens. Smoo: Get ready to face the walls! Ephesos: In conclusion, yarr. Kelandon's Pink and Pretty Page!!: the authorized location for all things by me The Archive of all released BoE scenarios ever Posts: 7968 | Registered: Saturday, February 28 2004 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 6652
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written Monday, March 27 2006 13:28
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quote:What I didn't like about it was the fact that it was basically a vehicle for ridiculous who-likes-who things that detract from the main story. Dumbledore's character also loses some of his splendor. However, I guess she had to write something like that at some point, to get it all out of the way and set the stage for what I really hope is the best book in the series. The worst possible crime a writer can commit is promising us a great mystery and then not giving us a satisfactory answer. And yes, Orson Scott Card is amazing. I read Ender's Game, Ender's Shadow, Speaker for the Dead, and some unrelated thing he wrote called Enchantment. I didn't like that Speaker for the Dead as much as Ender's Game because the spoiler spoiler. -------------------- But I don't want to ride the elevator. Posts: 420 | Registered: Sunday, January 8 2006 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 6193
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written Monday, March 27 2006 13:37
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[QUOTE]Originally written by Kelandon: [QB]Tolkien didn't write any proper science fiction, did he? I thought he was strictly fantasy. Well he wrote fantasy books, but somewhere in my mind the two genres got jumbled together and morphed into one. Perhaps I've seen it done in a library or a book store, it seems reasonable. Edit: Wow that quote sure turned out ugly. But I don't feel like finding out what I did wrong. [ Monday, March 27, 2006 13:38: Message edited by: Lazarus ] -------------------- Guaranteed to blow your mind. Frostbite: Get It While It's...... Hot? Posts: 900 | Registered: Monday, August 8 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, March 27 2006 14:15
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[Edit: You need to include the [/qb] and [/quote] tags for your quote to come out looking right.] Science fiction/fantasy (SF/F or SFF) is a standard library and bookstore section. Sometimes that gets lumped together under science fiction (SF). Grumbling aficionados decided to fix the abbreviation by making it stand for "speculative fiction," which does cover both types. Several authors have written about the differences between science fiction and fantasy and why the two should never meet. This tends to hold for "hard" science fiction and fantasy, but "soft" science fiction often blurs the lines. As Clarke said, sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. As someone else (David Eddings?) said, science fiction gets hung up on explaining the gadgets and fantasy can legitimately handwave them as magic and get on with the story. Now, back to the subject. Some of Terry Pratchett's books should be considered classics, but they never will be. Jostein Gaarder has a better chance and deserves it, although Sophie's World may be too much of a textbook for classic status as a novel and too much of a novel to be considered a great textbook. [Edit 2: Aye have typoographical problems today.] —Alorael, who is interested in seeing whether the popular Nick Hornby makes it to the classics list or gets consigned to the historical garbage bin of briefly popular but ultimately cosmically insignificant literature. [ Monday, March 27, 2006 14:21: Message edited by: 10E66, give or take a zillion ] Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Triad Mage
Member # 7
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written Monday, March 27 2006 14:36
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James Michener? Umberto Eco? Ursula Hegi? -------------------- "At times discretion should be thrown aside, and with the foolish we should play the fool." - Menander ==== Drakefyre's Demesne - Happy Happy Joy Joy Encyclopedia Ermariana - Trapped in the Closet ==== You can take my Mac when you pry my cold, dead fingers off the mouse! Posts: 9436 | Registered: Wednesday, September 19 2001 07:00 |
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Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
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written Monday, March 27 2006 14:54
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Jostein Gaarder! Of course! Yes, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. [i]Sophie's World[I]... oh man. I first read that when I was 11. It was practically a religious experience. I also think the The Solitaire Mystery is a deserving title, and it doesn't have the textbook thing going. It's probably too obscure to ever classificate, sadly. -------------------- Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, March 27 2006 16:22
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I think Eco has already hit classic, and I also think that this is not a good day for tags. —Alorael, who wonders how many generations the average classic stays classic. Many of yesterday's great works aren't read at all today. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6785
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written Monday, March 27 2006 16:23
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Robert Asprin's I]Myth Adventure [/I] series starting with Another Fine Myth will probably never move from cult status to classics. The illustrations for some of the books and the graphics novels, Myth Adventures and Myth Conceptions, were done by Phil Foglio. Foglio did the illustrations for Avernum 1-3 that illustrate the different skills used in the game. His books show that technology and magic can do the same functions depending upon the society. P. G. Wodehouse books are old enough to be classics, but most people don't want to consider something so fuuny to be classed with serious literature. Even though James Thurber, Mark Twain, and other author use humor. The PBS serieses of Jeeves and Wooster stories mention in the introductions about the famous authors that like his works, but have trouble admitting it in literary circles. I suppose Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time will someday be considered a classic for his use of myth and howit developes and is interpreted. [ Monday, March 27, 2006 16:26: Message edited by: Randomizer ] Posts: 4643 | Registered: Friday, February 10 2006 08:00 |
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Raven v. Writing Desk
Member # 261
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written Monday, March 27 2006 16:42
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I feel like Phil and Kaja Foglio have illustrated everything under the sun. Oh, and just for completeness, ]I[ -------------------- Slarty vs. Desk • Desk vs. Slarty • Timeline of Ermarian • G4 Strategy Central Posts: 3560 | Registered: Wednesday, November 7 2001 08:00 |
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Lifecrafter
Member # 6193
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written Monday, March 27 2006 17:32
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"The Wheel of Time" series is a pretty good one, but obviously judgement on its status as a classic will have to be put off until the series is done. I can't help but mention "A Song of Ice And Fire" by George R.R. Martin whenever I hear WoT. I learned of WoT's existence while googling Martin's books, and they seem kind of similar (long, lots of view points.) I think Martin does it a little better, I like how there is no protagonist or antagonist; in the course of reading the books I have changed my opinion of characters many times. There isn’t a “bad guy”, or “good guy” there are just characters, it is up to you to judge their actions. Martin's books have been mentioned several times in the past couple days on these boards, a sign of the apocalypse? I'd like to be the first person to say yes. (This being said, "A Feast for Crows" calls to me, I must retire.) -------------------- Guaranteed to blow your mind. Frostbite: Get It While It's...... Hot? Posts: 900 | Registered: Monday, August 8 2005 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 6489
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written Monday, March 27 2006 18:20
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quote:Dear lord! These are 16-year-old kids! Their lives consist of who-likes-who scenarios. I think the 6th book is one of the best, but I would not call it a classic. -------------------- "You're drinking liquor because you're thirsty? How nasty is your freaking water?" —Lazarus Spiderweb Chat Room Avernum RP • Summaries • OoC • Roster Shadow Vale - My site, home of the Spiderweb Chat Database, BoA Scenario Database, & the A1 Quest List, among other things. Posts: 1556 | Registered: Sunday, November 20 2005 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 3441
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written Monday, March 27 2006 18:26
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How about Chuck Palahnuik's books? -------------------- "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it." --Albert Einstein -------------------- Posts: 536 | Registered: Sunday, September 7 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 335
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written Monday, March 27 2006 20:11
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Jordan and Martin are both popular, and for good reason. They're masters of their particular subgenres of fantasy. They aren't, however, innovators, and their chosen genre doesn't get classic status very easily. On the other hand, they could still be in print for a long time. Is it better to be a classic or a goldmine? Wodehouse's books are classics whether anyone admits to reading them or not. The Foglios are classic. Just look at First Aid! Or Divinely Touched! —Alorael, who dares to hope that Gene Wolfe will be acknowledged as a master of literature in the finest tradition of pushing the boundaries of plot, language, and sanity. Posts: 14579 | Registered: Saturday, December 1 2001 08:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Monday, March 27 2006 20:15
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quote:Hm... I actually read Fight Club after watching the movie, and personally, I see the movie as more destined for classic status. His style is very unconventional, that's for sure, but that may only work for Vonnegut... EDIT: quote:Agreed. He deserves recognition. [ Monday, March 27, 2006 20:33: Message edited by: Ephesos ] -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |
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Infiltrator
Member # 3441
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written Monday, March 27 2006 20:25
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I read another of his novels, it was called Diary. It was a fascinating read. -------------------- "As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it." --Albert Einstein -------------------- Posts: 536 | Registered: Sunday, September 7 2003 07:00 |
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Law Bringer
Member # 4153
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written Monday, March 27 2006 20:33
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EDIT: Agh... this turned out horribly wrong. I quoted Alo's post in a new tab, thinking I'd just copy the post over to the tab where I was editing the last post. But no... I hit add reply. (Kicks self) [ Monday, March 27, 2006 20:35: Message edited by: Ephesos ] -------------------- Gamble with Gaea, and she eats your dice. I hate undead. I really, really, really, really hate undead. With a passion. Posts: 4130 | Registered: Friday, March 26 2004 08:00 |