Thursday, April 3, 2008

Booking Through Thursday-Lit-Ra-Chur

Booking Through Thursday

When somebody mentions “literature,” what’s the first thing you think of? (Dickens? Tolstoy? Shakespeare?)
Do you read “literature” (however you define it) for pleasure? Or is it something that you read only when you must?

The first thing I think of is the Classics. Which leads to another question--What qualifies as "classic"? The line between book and classic book is just as hazy as the line between fiction and literature. I've developed a recent appreciation for the classics. But trying to categorize between literature and fiction gives me a bellyache. It's a real problem when I try to add books to Librarything. But fiction, literature or unadulterated crap, I'll read it.

2 comments:

Christine Rebecca said...

I think that the test of time is one of the only things which turns a work of fiction into a "classic" work of fiction. The books we think of as classics have stood the test of time -- most of them are darn good books which have sometimes achieved hundreds of printings. They're not worthy just because they're old; but the fact that they are still being read and published is telling.

Christine
(http://shereadsbooks.wordpress.com/)

Anonymous said...

I am the same way about reading - I will read anything I can get my hands on, classic literature, chick-lit, fantasy, even non-fiction. It's an addiction and I am okay with that.