“The more rigorously criticism historicizes a work of art, in the sense of lodging it in the context of the moment of its production, the less likely it becomes for criticism to be able to explain either its own subsequent interest in the work or the possibility of lay—that is, nonacademic—interest in reading it.”
“I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge; I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there.”
“The Chinese Communist Party has recognized that the Greek and Latin classics can be used as tools—not against Persia or Carthage, but against “liberalism, constitutionalism, and multi-party democracy.” Meanwhile, the West’s own retreat from classical education allows China to present itself, confidently, as “the main protector of the Western classics.””
“I do not know what meaning classical studies could have for our time if they were not untimely—that is to say, acting counter to our time and thereby acting on our time and, let us hope, for the benefit of a time to come.”
“Our understanding of the thought of the past is liable to be the more adequate, the less the historian is convinced of the superiority of his own point of view, or the more he is prepared to admit the possibility that he may have to learn something, not merely about the thinkers of the past, but from them.”
“The fact is, the public make use of the classics of a country as a means of checking the progress of Art. They degrade the classics into authorities. They use them as bludgeons for preventing the free expression of Beauty in new forms.”
Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.
Not who you're looking for? Others named classic: 2011 studio album by Joe McElderry · album by Terri Clark · original song written, composed, and recorded by Adrian Gurv · album by Rah Digga
A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a classic car) or a noun (a classic of English literature). It denotes a particular quality in art, architecture, literature, design, technology, or other cultural artifacts. In commerce, products are named 'classic' to denote a long-standing popular version or model, to distinguish it from a newer variety. Classic is used to describe many major, long-standing sporting events. Colloquially, an everyday occurrence (e.g. a joke or mishap) may be described in some dialects of English as 'an absolute classic'.
