What Is a Classic? Examining Timeless Value

[marcus]

What is a "classic"?

Classics have a timeless quality.

I think this comic strip is as true and fresh today as in 1991

http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2005/10/life-in-hell.html

maybe it is a classic.

What other classics can you think of?

I also think the lyric poetry of William of Aquitaine is classical.
He wrote about the year 1100 but it still sounds OK to me.

What do you personally find has this kind of timeless value?

 

[selfAdjoint]

Archilochus. His expression of the military grunt's life in action and on leave are tiemless, if not very acceptible to the midddle class.

 

[marcus]

Archilochus. His expression of the military grunt's life in action and on leave are tiemless, if not very acceptible to the midddle class.

we should get some Archilochus here at this forum, I think

 

[marcus]

It is not easy to find on the web where you get both the greek and a translation on the same page. but here are some fragments:
http://www.vox-graeca-gottingensis.de/Texte/Archiloc/inarchil.htm
this page has greek and german together

this page has only English translations, but it has some of the same fragements as the German page
http://duke.usask.ca/~niallm/110/Archiloc.HTM

this page has links to english translations:
http://members.tripod.com/~seeword/Archilochos.html

more fragments in english:
http://people.whitman.edu/~hashimiy/archiloc.htm

an essay by Guy Davenport about Archi.
http://people.whitman.edu/~hashimiy/archiloc.htm

a translation (?) by Guy Davenport of a long poem by Archi.(?)
http://www.stoa.org/diotima/anthology/archiloch.shtml
I was used to seeing just short fragments from Archilochos. But this is a long poem. they say it was found as part of the wrapping of a mummy. Lots of papyrus was used that way, like newspapers. I am not sure I like this particular long poem of Archi. (if it is by him and Guy Davenport didnt make it up). Might need to see original Greek, and maybe a second translation.