classic novel
Literary canon entry
A classic novel is a work of fiction that has endured beyond its era, recognized for literary merit, cultural influence, or both.
The designation is partly subjective—what counts as classic depends on who's deciding.
School curricula, literary critics, and popular consensus all shape the canon: I finally read some classic novels this summer.
The term often implies something worth reading but potentially difficult or old-fashioned.
- bildungsromanFiction of psychological maturation
- coming of ageReaching adult status
- romanceLove and its excitement
- banned booksLiterature officially prohibited
- archetypeOriginal model for copies
Fyodor Dostoevsky · Charles Dickens · George Orwell · Herman Melville · Jane Austen · gothic · Victorian era · adaptation · Mark Twain · leather bound · Virginia Woolf · Great Gatsby · symbolism · epic · love and loss · timeless tale · intertextuality · James Joyce
- bookstextbooks, study guides, book, paperback, hardcover
- school materialstextbook, workbook, notebook, coursebook, math book
- touchstonesbenchmark, yardstick, litmus test, reference point, baseline
classic novelairport novel
Mass-market travel fiction
schlock · beach read · pulp fiction · potboiler · dime novel