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Member Advice Summary
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What makes a "classic?"
by Godai-kun | Nov 27 '00
To me, there are a few factors which help to separate the classic children's book from the less enduring one.
1) Limited duration. Past a certain point, new books in a series tend to be regarded less as valid contributions to a classic series...Return to opinion
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This is a great analysis... (Reply to this comment)
by jazzbocrow
Nancy Drew, especially the new ones, pale in comparison to Harry Potter. Nancy's appeal was (is?) to girls who see her as an independent femal role model, but the books never sparked the imagination the way the Harry Potter books(and Narnia and Wrinkle in Time)do.
Both will no doubt live on, but Harry will be the true classic of children's literature.
Nice job.
Jojo
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Nov 29 '00
9:51 pm PST
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Re: Harry, Nancy, and the rest (Reply to this comment)
by Godai-kun
Interesting! I had no idea that Nancy Drew was still so popular. I know that even when I was a kid, both she and the Hardies were pretty much passe. I read a few of them, and loved them, but none of my friends read them, or traded them to one another, the way it was when my folks were kids. I would definitely like to check out that review you mention.
Thanks for the comment!
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Nov 29 '00
4:41 pm PST
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Harry, Nancy, and the rest (Reply to this comment)
by jaderabbit
Great points!
I think Nancy Drew was/is more popular than you think. The books have been published, edited, and re-edited over a period of several decades. I don't know if new ones are being written now, but they certainly stuck around for a long time (largely due to re-editing for the times--jazzbocrow wrote a fascinating piece about Nancy's evolution over the years).
I think one reason Harry is likely to stick around is the timelessness of Hogwarts. Dudley Dursley's techno-toys are the most dated items in the books; once Harry gets to Hogwarts, it's all quills and robes and magic.
Thanks for another great review that made me think.
jaderabbit
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Nov 29 '00
10:28 am PST
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How refreshing (Reply to this comment)
by jrk
to finally see a review posted under this topic that doesn't just say "I love Harry Potter so it's a classic." I particularly enjoyed your observations about series like Piers Anthony's that don't end soon enough to salvage their potential classic status. Excellent review!
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Nov 27 '00
9:52 pm PST
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