First of all, we must be clear about what can be considered a classic. A definition that it is possible to direct to other artistic manifestations, such as cinema or painting, for example. The main characteristic of a work considered classic is its timelessness. That is, it has the ability to reinvent itself so that it has a valuable meaning for each generation. The meaning can change, the work does over time if it is timeless, but it will never lose its essence. In other words, a classic is if it never goes out of style..
On the other hand, the artistic quality of the work must be undoubted, as well as the reception of the public. This second part is, however, a contemporary and popular concept. Y only time can determine which works manage to become classics. Although there are many texts considered classic, in this article We select 11 books that are classics, in Spanish and foreign languages, and that we recommend.
The Celestina (1499)
Of Fernando de Rojas, although there are different opinions about its authorship, it is also thought that it can be anonymous. Thanks to this text, the term "matchmaker" was coined, which the RAE defines as "procurement" or "woman who arranges a love relationship." The work is a tragicomedy in verse in which the love of Calisto and Melibea, its main characters, are narrated.
Lazarillo de Tormes (1554)
El Lazarillo de tormes it is an anonymous book; It is unknown who wrote this picaresque novel, one of the first texts narrated in prose. The picaresque is a subgenre that was born in Spain and that portrays the world of rogues or malicious people who are back from everything precisely because of the conditions in which they live and the survival situations they face. This book is a vivid example of life in Spain in the XNUMXth century of the lower social strata within the common people.
Hamlets (1601)
The influence of Hamlet It has been repeated in a multitude of stories throughout various works in literature and in the cinema. Shakespeare's work is a tragedy in which revenge appears as the main theme. It is inspired by a Scandinavian legend, although much is said about it. The story: Prince Hamlet must avenge the vile murder of his father at the hands of his uncle Claudius, while saving his hapless mother, forced to marry him.
Don Quixote (1605)
And of course the work of Miguel de Cervantes could not be missing, because Don Quixote It is the universal work par excellence, and both the first and second parts are considered the first modern novels. It is a novel of chivalry, although it does not complement it, since Cervantes wrote a satire of these books that had devastated a few centuries before; that is to say, Don Quixote it's a parody.
¿Why is it so important? In addition to being timeless, he knew how to capture his time and is the most important literary work of all time written in Spanish.. Secondly, it has been the most published book after the Bible and, like the Bible, it has been translated into all languages that have writing. Essential.
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
It is one of Jane Austen's most famous novels and it can be said that she is a pioneer of romantic comedy. that has managed to captivate millions of readers over the centuries. The two protagonists, in love, will have to go through some difficulties and grow up to be together; Pride and prejudice are some of these obstacles that Darcy and Elizabeth must overcome. Many versions of this work have been made beyond the pages and it is still a benchmark in the genre today.
Frankenstein (1816)
Reference to the gothic novel, Frankenstein It is another essential work. Mary Shelley composed it at a retreat with friends including her own husband, the writer Percival Bisshe Shelley, leaving them all stunned with the result. There are some big questions in this novel: questions the relationship that man has with God and the ability of the first to create life in the same way as the second. It is an amazing novel with that gloomy point of the Gothic.
Madame Bovary (1856)
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flauvert is a novel ahead of its time in which a woman's situation full of prejudices, her thinking, way of loving and self-esteem is pointed out. French realism originates with it, although there are also romantic overtones and a glimpse of the literary future of naturalism. Madame Bovary is a unique novel that transcends and in which Flauvert develops the most radical femininity with enormous acuity, far removed from any past idealism.
Great Expectations (1860)
One of the great works of the great English storyteller, Charles Dickens. Likewise, it has been adapted during all these years to a multitude of versions and formats. It has the typical themes of Dickens's work, such as childhood and orphanhood, poverty, optimistic kindness and hope.always hope. Philip Pirrip is the orphaned protagonist who starts out as a blacksmith's apprentice, although what he most wants is to move up in society and leave his suffering behind.
Crimen and punishment (1866)
Dostoevsky's most famous work. It revolves around guilt, as well as the longing for righteousness and amends.. Raskolnikov will finally find the redemption so longed for, although not without regret, since first he would have to kill an old woman, a usurer, whose death will haunt him all the time until he manages to find forgiveness, and with it, peace.
War and Peace (1869)
The great work of Leo Tolstoy, one of the many found in his literary life. It had enormous weight and influence in universal literature, one of the great texts of all time, colossal work and pinnacle of Russian realism. It narrates the historical and epic events of no less than five Russian aristocratic families at the time of the Napoleonic invasion.
Fortunata and Jacinta (1887)
Anyone who wants to read another of the great Spanish novels in the history of literature should borrow Fortunata and Jacinta. Benito Pérez Galdós was the greatest narrator in Spain, always with the permission of Cervantes. Fortunata and Jacinta is a masterpiece of Spanish realism, with the story of two very different women, although with someone in common. The story is located in Madrid, Jacinta is the wife and Fortunata the concubine. Jacinta belongs to the bourgeoisie, while Fortunata lives in a courtyard next to the Plaza Mayor. The moral and the pernicious are resolved in a crude and tragic way, given the impossibility of finding a solution to such a mess.
