What about modern classics? Pick a book published since 2000 and say why you think it will be considered as a “classic” in the future.
One title
instantly popped up in my head reading this question: Harry Potter! Although the
first of the series (Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer’s Stone) was first published in 1997, the last one was only released
in 2007, so it could be considered a product of 21st century. I
considered Harry Potter as future classic not because of the books’ enormous
number of sales, and not only because it set a new trend in literary world, but
firstly because there are so many hidden germs of philosophy inside the
fictional wizarding world created by J.K. Rowling.
Perhaps one
day, Harry Potter will have its own section in literary study-guide sites like
Sparknotes. You would probably find summary, character analysis,
themes-motif-symbol study for Harry Potter, just as you’d find ones for The Great Gatsby today, for instance.
The more I read Harry Potter, the more I believe it’s not just a
fantasy-adventure tales. Inside there are lessons about our relationship with
God, about good and evil, light and dark, love and hate. Oh, there is even much
more symbol and metaphor inside Harry Potter than in The Great Gatsby.
Another
symbol is within Harry Potter’s relation with his mother and Voldemort. When Voldemort
cursed baby Harry with the deathly curse, he failed at killing him because of Lily
Potter’s love which was planted inside Harry’s soul. However, Harry is also
connected to Lord Voldemort, that they can read each other’s mind. I think it’s
the symbol of good and evil in human’s soul. Dumbledore insists that Harry must
try harder to close his mind from Voldemort, just as we must close our minds from things that provoke us to sin. So on one side, man has a small part of God—the
Love; but on another side, he also has tendency to sin. But on top of that,
love will always win against evil. How lovely are these symbols!
And all that
makes Harry Potter deserves to be considered classic, even now.
I definitely hope that Harry Potter will become a classic! Apart from being a fantastic story, there is definitely a great deal of questioning of good/evil, and of how human beings deal with and understand death. I remember a few years ago I was amazed to learn that Rowling had been influenced by Civil Rights movements when she was writing the books. I didn't pick up on it as a kid, but re-reading it I definitely began to understand what she was writing about. There is definitely a great deal in the books about human rights and freedoms, which I think are important issues that transcend time.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to hear that Rowling was influenced by Cilvil Rights movement when writing Harry Potter. It gives new insights to the book even more than when we were reading it as kid or young adult. Thanks for the info.
DeleteActually Harry Potter does already have its own section on Sparknotes: link
ReplyDeleteI agree. While Harry Potter isn't Shakespeare, I think Potter deserves and likely will be remembered in the future as a classic of Children's Literature.
The most important element in Potter, in my opinion, is the parallel between Voldemort and Harry. They both grew up in unhappy home situations, only to discover their wizarding potential, but both react to this knowledge in different ways and end up being very different people. One a hero, the other a tyrant. One whose true power is his friendship with others and willingness to sacrifice himself, the other a bully who scares others into line out of fear and who lives his life in fear of death. The key I think is to see that they have very similar backgrounds, but ultimately make very different choices about who they want to be. It's not power or abilities that define us (Voldemort definitely has the advantage over Harry there), but it's the choices we make who truly define who we are.
Well said! Yes, Harry Potter is about choices and consequences, which sum up human existence.
DeleteI think it most likely will as well. I thought about choosing this for the meme but I ended up going with The Book Thief.
ReplyDelete;)
DeleteI don't believe for a second people will ever stop reading Harry Potter. The series is perfection!
ReplyDeleteI like discovering new facts - my latest one is that the later ones were partly inspired by the denial that was going on in the 1930s regarding the impending Second World War. Gives it an interesting new perspective :)
Really? Yeah...seems Harry Potter still keeps its magic, lying deep down there, waiting to be discovered. Need to reread (again) sometime in the future...
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