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Do you think that it is more important to have and read classic literature of modern? If you had to pick one and get rid of the other altogether which would it be?
By classic I mean authors like Austen, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Twain, Lewis, Tolkien, Brontë, etc.

By modern I essentially mean books written in the past twenty years.

Personally, I would go classic all the way. I think that classic book are often written better, more thought provoking, well planned, and more intriguing. Not to mention, better for your mind and vocabulary.

Now, I would say that each one has their great books and their poor ones and there are certainly some gems to be found in the world of modern writing but I think that they are few and far between.

That is my opinion, but I would really like to hear yours

I totally agree! There's just something about classic books that modern books can't quite achieve. I usually say anything written in the past 20 years is off limits, sorta like cheese, let it age first. Some of my personal favorite authors are Fitzgerald and Kerouac. Even Bradbury. There's something about reading a classic book that makes your head really spin. Maybe it's the language or just a way of thinking but i think classics all the way.
-Ellie

I have to give some appreciation to modern books, considering I want to be a writer as well, but the majority of my favorite authors are from the classics. I love being transported to another time and the storytelling in the classics is just much more intriguing.

I agree with you on both points. I am also an aspiring writer and to think someone would just dismiss my writing as uninteresting or superficial would be discouraging, but I also agree with you in the transportation and intrigue of classic books. Not to mention, it’s much easier to find a good classic than a good modern.

Dickens, Twain, Austen, and Bronte are some of the best authors that we will ever have the opportunity to read. The classic books are still a huge part of our society as I feel they always should be. I believe there are many modern books that may turn into classics, but it seems as though the stories are not as deep as some of the older ones.

diamonnd wrote: ↑26 Mar 2020, 16:13 I have to give some appreciation to modern books, considering I want to be a writer as well, but the majority of my favorite authors are from the classics. I love being transported to another time and the storytelling in the classics is just much more intriguing.

I feel the same way and I’m not a writer.

Why not both? Tolkien was my favorite so far but there are also really good modern books. I suspect that authors like Charlie Sheldon will eventually be considered side by side with Twain or Dickens.

I love some of the classic books however I feel that I relate more to the modern ones and many of the issues and attitudes in the classics have become outdated.

I'll pick the modern books. I think it is important to remember that a lot, if not all the classics that we know today were not considered classic back then. At least most of the time until their death. Its sort of like comparing which movie is better then the other, neither would exist if the one that came before it never existed at all. They are linked by influence. The reason I choose modern is due to relatability, its only a matter of a time before a modern classic is written and will join the classics of the past.

I would choose the classics over the modern books any day. The classics transcend time and have morals that bring value to any generation. The moderns are fun to read, but never left a lasting impression like the classics did.

cookiedough wrote: ↑20 Jun 2020, 14:15 I would choose the classics over the modern books any day. The classics transcend time and have morals that bring value to any generation. The moderns are fun to read, but never left a lasting impression like the classics did.

I totally agree with you! I have never found modern books to compare to the greats of the past!

I believe classics depict the best authors of our times. They are the essence of creativity. I don't mind reading modern books but I believe that to be an avid reader one must at least read a couple of classics.

I couldn't express how important is modern literature but the classics has my heart in a way I cannot explain. I still remember how amazing it was for me to read Pride and Prejudice for the first time.

HanElizabeth397 wrote: ↑13 May 2020, 12:23 I love some of the classic books however I feel that I relate more to the modern ones and many of the issues and attitudes in the classics have become outdated.

Yeah I see your point but I would like to add that often we can find the answers to our issues in the classics because they didn't have the same biases and prejudices that we do simply because they lived in a different time. Often their age is right where ours is wrong (and vice versa). So they correct each other.

I could not vote in the poll, this is like Sophie's Choice for me! To give up an entire era of literature is to lose a piece of our history, culture, even our humanity. BOTH are important, crucial even, to society.