Week 1 Thought Paper

From the readings and discussions we had this week I have to wonder what it is that makes a piece of literature stand the test time. Why do some works become "classics" while others get forgotten? I believe the major factor in determining the longevity of a piece of literature is not the work itself but the environment in which it is released to. To become a classic a piece of literature does not need to be widely loved or be a best-seller it just needs to have a following, no matter how small, that will push for it to continue to be read for years to come. Just as it took only one publisher to push for Paradise Lost to continue to be printed and reprinted, a small group of people like the Jews who follow the Torah are enough to keep it thriving. With a modern day fad like Twilight, I don't believe the teenage girls that follow it hold the right skills necessary to push the series into a longlasting run. The Bible is one of the most beloved and widely read texts of all time, but what makes it so? I believe the Bible has such an effect on society because it not only has elements of entertainment and morality but because it holds in it a complete guide to shaping a culture. Most culture-shaping books contain what not to do instead of what to do. For example, George Orwell's 1984 presents an example of what the world should not be allowed to become, whereas the Bible lays out a guide for a so-called "moral life." While not everyone agrees with the guidelines contained in the pages of the Bible there is no denying that it a complete package that most books only contain certain aspects of. The Bible also holds as a record of a period of time and the way a society worked also included in novels like The Scarlet Letter, The Grapes of Wrath, and The Things They Carried. The ability to make future generations understand the past also sets a work apart from those that slip into forgotten territory.