Defining the Contested Term Classic
The word “classic” has several different meanings, according to different sources such as historians, teachers, educational leaders, and even writers. But what most affects the interpretation and definition of the term is culture. When it all boils down, it is the values and interests of a specific population that will define what classic means to them. The word classic is contested because there is no definite boundary on what is or should be considered classic, it is generally a public decision. ... But, in most cultures, as pre-requisite for becoming a classic, the subject must have either been important at the time of existence, or standard form at a certain point in time. Whether or not something stays a classic is up to society. Usually a group of well-educated people will introduce an older book as a classic, and if the public adapts that same opinion, that book will then become a classic. The Oxford English dictionary defines classic as the highest class, of the first order, where the word means `high-class, as opposed to `low. The Greek and Roman authors read in school were actually the classical writers in these languages, and thus `classic became practically synonymous with `ancient Greek or Roman.