What is a timeless book?

To be timeless, a novel must not just contain an interesting story. It also has to be a worthy story. Consider the novels of Herman Wouk, an author whom most discerning critics dismiss as an inferior stylist, a simplistic moralizer and (worst of all) philosophically conservative. All true.

press-citizen.com - What makes fiction timeless? - Iowa City Press-Citizen

What does a 2.9 earthquake feel like?

May 12, 1964: A 4.5 earthquake hit Lebanon. ... How strong is a 3.4 magnitude earthquake? The Richter scale explained. Magnitude Description Effect...

Last updated Jun 7, 2020

Should you sleep during a hurricane?

Getting the recommended amount of sleep is important at any time. But during a hurricane, it can be hard to do much other than worry. It's all the...

Last updated May 27, 2022

Promotion

Joseph Dobrian

Writers Group

When a novelist hits a certain age (maybe 60), and has cranked out a few books, he gets to thinking about whether his work will outlive him, and, if it does, what his reputation will look like — even if he will never know. Authors of popular fiction (Agatha Christie, Louis L’Amour, Barbara Cartland, Nicholas Sparks, Stephen King) rarely make their reputations on individual books. They gain fame from the volume of their work. They produce book after book and develop a dedicated base of fans who read all of them. Authors of literary fiction (fiction written mainly to impress critics, fellow authors, and people who consider themselves sophisticated) generally hope to achieve fame and immortality via one or several specific books. In between are those happy few: authors of books that sell a lot of copies and make money, yet can be considered serious literature (David Foster Wallace, Cormac McCarthy, Alice Walker, Toni Morrison). Among them, you’ll find a much smaller sub-group: authors whose names and books long outlive them, who have produced at least one novel generally regarded as “timeless.” This group would include Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Flaubert, Dickens, Thackeray, Austen, Cervantes, Twain, Fitzgerald.

Note that several of those authors were considered lightweights in their own time. Yet their works endure, and will never go out of fashion. So, what makes a novel “timeless,” in the sense of “enduring”?

First, I suggest that to be timeless, a novel need not be stylishly written. Margaret Mitchell’s "Gone With The Wind" will probably reign forever as the most famous of all American novels, although the prose is plain and pedestrian. The story isn’t at all fancy— but, what a story. Excepting Scarlett, the characters aren’t brilliantly developed, but they’re clearly portrayed. The motto that Scarlett lives by — “Tomorrow is another day” — speaks to the individual’s ability to remain indomitable. To be timeless, a novel must not just contain an interesting story. It also has to be a worthy story. Consider the novels of Herman Wouk, an author whom most discerning critics dismiss as an inferior stylist, a simplistic moralizer and (worst of all) philosophically conservative. All true. Wouk’s style is as heavy and indigestible as a giant underdone suet dumpling. His messages are more than a little preachy. But he tells amazing stories that educate the reader. A friend who’s a former naval officer tells me that all newly commissioned ensigns are urged to read "The Caine Mutiny" and absorb its lessons. "Marjorie Morningstar" is a Jewish "Gone With The Wind." "The Winds of War" and "War and Remembrance" personalize World War II in an epic that’s the literary equivalent of a Brückner symphony. Now consider another eminent 20th-century author: Philip Roth. He’s considered a much greater stylist than Mitchell or Wouk: rightly so. His novella, "The Ghost Writer," is some of the most elegant, perfectly crafted prose I’ve ever read. "Portnoy’s Complaint" and "The Great American Novel" are hugely entertaining. But with few exceptions, the stories he tells in his novels are ephemeral, slight, jejune — even when he’s trying to be deadly serious — and they don’t give you any “takeaways.” John Updike, likewise, is regarded as (in the words of critic Harold Bloom) “a minor novelist with a major style.”

How was the iloveyou worm created?

De Guzman, who was poor and struggling to pay for Internet access at the time, created the computer worm intending to steal other users' passwords,...

Last updated Jan 14, 2022

What is the hardest Peace dollar to find?

The rarest of all Peace Dollars is the 1964-D, as the Denver Mint struck around 300,000 Peace Dollars in 1965 with the 1964 date on the coins. Oct...

Last updated Apr 2, 2019

Promotion

I suggest that the truly great, truly timeless novels are those that contain wisdom that will always be wisdom, that leave you with an epiphany. Those that make you tell yourself, at the end, “I never thought of life that way,” or, “That’s just what I’ve felt all along but never could systematize in my mind.” But they mustn’t leave you completely happy, completely sad, or completely anything, if they are to be great and timeless. Style is valuable, but substance is all. The true immortals are the novels that leave you almost stunned, awed beyond words, by what a great story you’ve just read.

Joseph Dobrian is a novelist and member of the Press-Citizen Writers' Group.

press-citizen.com - What makes fiction timeless? - Iowa City Press-Citizen

How do you pack makeup for TSA?

Makeup in a solid or powder form is allowed in carry-on and checked bags with no quantity or size limitations. However, when packed in carry-on...

Last updated May 7, 2018

What is the toughest job on earth?

Top 30 Hardest Jobs In The World Military. Coming first on our list of the hardest jobs in the world is the military. Healthcare Worker. There is...

Last updated Jun 15, 2018

Promotion

What are doomsday preppers called?

Survivalism is a social movement of individuals or groups (called survivalists or preppers) who proactively prepare for emergencies, such as...

Last updated Aug 17, 2020

Promotion

What is the highest spiritual gift?

Wisdom Wisdom is considered the first and the greatest of the gifts. It acts upon both the intellect and the will. According to St. Bernard, it...

Last updated May 13, 2019