Literature

T.S. Eliot Explains What a ‘Classic’ Is

With an explanation that reaches back to the ‘Aenid,’ 20th-century poet T.S. Eliot tells modern readers how to identify classics. 
T.S. Eliot Explains What a ‘Classic’ Is
It can be hard to know where to start if you're looking for a literary classic. ilbusca/Getty Images
Walker Larson
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We often speak–especially here at The Epoch Times–of the great treasury of classic literature. But what exactly is a classic? How do we define this term? And how can its definition deepen our understanding and appreciation of this class of works?
The British-American poet, playwright, and essayist T.S. Eliot (1888–1965) tackled that very question in a 1944 address to the Virgil Society. It was later published in print in 1945. In this address, Eliot provided the world with a valuable definition and defense of a “classic.” His analysis is well worth a closer look for anyone trying to understand what a classic is and why it matters.
Walker Larson
Walker Larson
Author
Prior to becoming a freelance journalist and culture writer, Walker Larson taught literature and history at a private academy in Wisconsin, where he resides with his wife and daughter. He holds a master's in English literature and language, and his writing has appeared in The Hemingway Review, Intellectual Takeout, and his Substack, The Hazelnut. He is also the author of two novels, "Hologram" and "Song of Spheres."