What does it mean to call something "classic"?
At once, the term implies age or antiquity, but the word also
implies the material is somehow valuable. It somehow shapes
what comes in later time periods. When traditional literary
scholars refer to classical literature, they usually mean
that this
literature
is widely acknowledged as having outstanding or enduring qualities.
Often, Shakespeare's King Lear is considered a classic
of English literature and The Scarlet Letter in American
literature.
When scholars are speaking more
specifically, however, the term classic is usually applied
to the literature
of the ancient
world (Greek and Rome), especially between 1000 BCE and 410
CE. Literature written during this same interval in other
cultures might be referred to as "Classical Hebrew" or "Classical
Chinese" literature as well. You can download
a PDF handout listing all the major periods of literary history
in Western
culture here, to see where the classical period fits in.
For the purposes of this website,
we currently limit ourselves to Classical
China, Classical Greece, Classical
Rome, and
the Bible as literature. Some of these sections are still
under
construction!
You can click below on the appropriate
category that interests you. If the jargon becomes too thick,
you can click on
my list of Literary Terms to find useful definitions
in alphabetical
order.
Classical Greece: An Introduction
-
MATER
ROMA
The
Bible as Literature: An Introduction