What is a "classic"?

An interesting conversation transpired in my English 9 classes late last week. As preparation for Homer’s The Odyssey, I had students answer the following questions (a short list of answers follows):

What makes a book, story, or play a “classic”?
It’s been around for a long time / it’s old
A lot of people have read/watched it
A lot of people like it
It can relate to large audience across history

What are some examples of “classics”?
Dr. Seuss
The Titanic (movie)
Moby Dick
Shakespeare

After exploring the notion of “classic,” I asked students to respond to the following quote: “When you reread a classic you do not see more in the book than you did before; you see more in you than there was before” – Clifton Fadiman. Students took this quote to mean that regardless of how many times a story is read it doesn’t change; what changes is the readers’ reaction to the story; what the reader learns about who they are in that moment.

I asked students “Have you ever read a book or story that changed your character or how you view the world?” Surprisingly, many students had read books that taught lessons in gratitude and thankfulness (be happy with what you have / life could be a lot worse) and injustices people have faced throughout time. The books students mentioned weren’t YA novels; they were titles that dealt with people in real situations. The books mentioned included a list of Holocaust literature (Schindler’s List was a popular title) and books by Dave Pelzer (A Child Called It and The Lost Boy).

I thought it was interesting that not one YA title was offered as a means of identification. I asked students if they could think of any contemporary titles could be classified as a "classic" or one that might one day fit this classification, but they didn't have any ideas. Since this discussion, I’ve been wondering how teens view YA novels. Why do they read these types of stories? Why do they not consider these titles to be “classics”? They may not be as dated as some of the traditional “classics,” but aren’t the themes universal? Maybe not… Maybe teens see YA novels as a source of entertainment and nothing more.