Do you read "the classics" of the genre?

[Dark Jezter]

I read Robert E. Howard's Conan novels on a yearly basis. I also reread Lord of the Rings every few years. I've read the first three Dune novels, but after that things just started getting too weird for me.

Edgar Rice Burroghs, Fritz Lieber, Michael Moorcock, and Jack Vance are all on my "To Read" list, but I don't know when I'll actually get around to them.

 

[ThirdWizard]

I have no real interest in reading classic fantasy. I know that is probably not a popular oppinion around here, but you asked! I don't have a lot of time to spend reading, and I read slowly, so that means I'm very picky with what I read. Also, a friend of mine is a source of books for me, a guy who can say he has read more books than most people have heard of and references his collection in authors not titles, so I read a lot of his recomendations.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

What interests me is what becomes labelled as "classic". Why does Moorcock rate highly but Tanith Lee barely registers? Why is Vance so important and is that only because D&D used his magic system? When would Terry Pratchett become "classic" and what would that mean to the genre?

All very interesting questions, indeed. And I do think that being "vetted" by Gary Gygax and D&D has given a lot of classic the status they have today, where they otherwise would be obscurities like Tanith Lee.

Gary Gygax's opinion has little to no influence on the SF field, outside the marginal subgroup that call themselves gamers, and even then it's a small section that take that list seriously. Most of what is on his list was and would be considered classic when he came up with it, not the other way around. After working in SF publishing, reading Locus every month for going on 11 years now, and reading lots of critical works, there are tons of different reasons authors and/or books are considered "classic". Gygax's list is actually quite tame, it really doesn't get into some of the esoteric classic works that genre critics would point you too. Outside of gamers, who give a rat's ass about what he has to say? He's just some guy on the edges of the field, giving his opinion, not a well respected critic like John Clute, David Hartwell, or Gardiner Dozouis. (that's not MY opinion of him, but that's how I see the field looking at him, if they do at all)

Why does Moorcock rate as Classic? Probably because he was one of the first New Wave of SF writers,a nd he was very outspoken, opinionated, and wrote some things that "real" litereary critics liked.

Why is Tanith Lee not classic? I didn't know she wasn't. While I personally don't really like her stuff, I'd certainly consider her to be just as "classic" as Ursula LeGuin or Andre Norton, at least as far as the SF field goes. Get out of SF, and she doesn't even rate a blip on the radar.

Why is Vance important? Well, it's certainly not for his Dying Earth novels. Sure, they are more respected now (probably because of the magic system influence on rpgs), but they were when he wrote them as well. But it's his SF that he is really known for. He's been writing for, oh, 60 years now, and incredibly prolific? Tons of his stuff is so long out of print you can't find it anywhere.

When will Preatchett be considered classic? To me, he already is, but I'm biased. I was the assistant editor for at least 6 of his books. He'll probably be considered classic when: 1. He dies, 2. He stops putting out 3-4+ books a year, or 3. He stops hitting the British Bestsellers list with every book. He's TOO prolific and successful to be considered a serious, classic writer by the critics. In the UK, he's the equivilent of Stephen King, and being that successful doesn't win you any critical love. He also writes comic fantasy works, too genres that are considered to be in the gutter to start. Put them together, and you've got a long hole to dig out of. I know some people who read Pratchett but wouldn't dream of saying they read fantasy. To them, he is satire, along the lines of Kurt Vonnegut.

 

[Raven Crowking]

Why is Tanith Lee not classic? I didn't know she wasn't.

Neither did I.

Some of her stuff is meh. Other of her stuff is brilliant.


RC

 

[Rackhir]

All very interesting questions, indeed. And I do think that being "vetted" by Gary Gygax and D&D has given a lot of classic the status they have today, where they otherwise would be obscurities like Tanith Lee.

Of whom I've read a bit, by the way.

That is certainly a factor, but a lot of the books they recomended are classics because they created or introduced concepts and characters that have since become iconic.

The Law and Chaos angle of Moorecock's books certainly figured into D&D's alignment system. Stormbringer is one of the classic magic weapons of fantasy, the soul sucking tremendously powerful weapon that is nearly as dangerous to the wielder as to his enemies. The Multiverse is likewise heavily influential to D&D's planes/cosmology. I suspect that the Elementals of D&D have their roots in the Elementals that Elric summoned as well.

I must confess that I've not read much by Tanith Lee, but while she may have been a good writer, I'm not aware of any similarly iconic or influential ideas or characters that she has created.

 

[WayneLigon]

It occurs to me that many people here are probably true fanboys of old-fashioned classics, while others may ignore them entirely and only read modern fantasy or sci-fi like Martin, Jordan or Goodkind, and heck, some may even only read D&D books, for all I know.

I've read most of the 'old masters' spottily; I've read all the Mars books but I don't think I've even looked at the tons of other stuff ERB did. I have never read Hagdard. I've read some Tanith Lee (mainly her demon series), and a very little LeQuin (mainly her short stories). Fair amount of Leiber, Dunsany, and Lewis and Bradbury. I've never been able to get into much of anything Cherryh ever wrote despite a lot of trying. Same thing for Andre Norton. I think I read some of her SF but the classic Witch World books? Tried several times to read the first one and I can't get into it. The dwarf really squicks me, for some reason, and I can't read much past where he's introduced. Never read Watership Down, Shardik or Circle of Light. Read some Vance, mainly Dying Earth and Lyonnesse, but never any of his SF. Read the first three or so Dune books. Liked early Heinlein juveniles and his short stories, and Friday, but the stuff he's best know for, I either couldn't get through it or didn't much care for it. 'Number of the Beast...' is about the only latter work of his I could stomach until he ruins once they run into Lazerus Long.