It is not uncommon to see people on public transport or at a coffee shop reading a classic book. Novels like Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein and The Metamorphosis, for example, are still relevant because they address timeless themes: love, ambition, rejection and morality.
Timeless Themes in Classic Literature
Even if the story takes place in a different century with different customs and ideas, the main messages behind the plots and critiques in these books still apply to contemporary society. Using Mary Shelley’s work, Frankenstein, as an example, its main critique is the tendency to judge someone’s worth based on their appearance. This analysis applies to today’s society because, with an entertainment industry that values visual beauty above all else, we have become increasingly prone to judging someone’s worth based on how they look.
Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen, also connects issues of the nineteenth century with current ones, such as judgments based on social status, first impressions that distort the truth, andpride and prejudice acting as barriers in relationships. It is common nowadays to relate to someone – or not – based on their appearance, social status, or our initial impressions of them.
How Classic Literature Inspires Modern Stories
Classics also serve as the foundation of today’s culture. Many stories we see today in films, series or books did not emerge in isolation. They revisit ideas that were already present in classics, such as character archetypes (the hero, the outcast, the ambitious figure), central conflicts (love vs. duty, appearance vs. essence, power vs. morality) and social criticism. In other words, classics work as a “blueprint” for many modern narratives.
“Um clássico é um livro que nunca terminou de dizer aquilo que tinha para dizer”
Ítalo Calvino em `Por que ler os clássicos‘
As another example, the movie Clueless is based on Jane Austen’s book, Emma. The director took the original structure of the story and transported it to 1990s Beverly Hills. The main issue the film borrows from the novel is the illusion of knowing what is best for others. In Emma, the protagonist believes she is skilled at matchmaking and assumes she understands people better than she actually does.
She tries to “improve” the lives of those around her. In the film, Cher behaves in a similar way: she interferes in her friends’ romantic lives and believes she is helping when, in reality, her actions are often superficial and misguided. In this way, the film preserves Austen’s original critique: the danger of arrogance disguised as kindness.
Finally, classics continue to be successful because they make the reader think and reflect. Unlike stories created only for quick entertainment, classics question behaviors, expose human struggles and encourage deeper reflection.
Classics endure not simply because they are old, but because they continue to illuminate the complexities of human nature across generations.
The article above was edited by Maryanna Arison.
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