At the Archer Book Club, we graciously receive a lot of requests for recommendations and discussions about classic literature. What constitutes classic lit is both a complicated and simple answer. Below we have a broad quote describing the categorization, and this tab is dedicated to staff recommendations from our ABC team, grouped into genres within the classics. There are of course MANY more, but these are some that we've read and loved. Many of these books are available at the University Library or the Regina Public Library, but many classics are now old enough to become public domain and can be read for free through organizations like Project Gutenberg.
"Put simply, a classic novel is a book that has stood the test of time because it’s so good; it has a gripping story which is expertly crafted and brilliantly expressed. But of course, it’s not just about the story. Like any good recipe, there are a number of key ingredients that make a book a classic.
For starters, it will have a certain level of complexity and depth, which enables it to transcend the time in which it was written. A classic brilliantly articulates universal themes – like love, morality, death, adversity – and offers revelatory insight and clarity to readers of any era. It always feels fresh.
A classic novel might be subversive in some way that makes it particularly significant or memorable. It very often portrays a particular time and place in an intensely evocative way. So much so that the books themselves - think of works by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Jane Austen – come to epitomize a particular era and location.
The book may be the first of its kind, impressively inventive, or the most influential example of a particular genre or literary style. Many archetypal characters come from classic fiction, and are developed and reinterpreted still. Conversely it could be one of a kind, and its stunning originality is what endures. In some cases, the ideas and expressions in a novel are so powerful that they become absorbed into our everyday culture.
This is, of course, not an exhaustive list. And not all classics are recognized as such when they first appear. Some books which have all the elements of a classic went virtually unnoticed when they were published or sank into obscurity, probably because the authors’ voices weren't valued. Happily, more and more books are being rediscovered and celebrated as the classics they are, and deserve to be."
Try one of these for your next favourite read, a book you've just never gotten around to, or a completely new-to-you adventure.
