Practice question · Multiple choice
Calvino defines a classic as "a book that has never finished saying what it has to say". What does this definition make the test of a classic?
Hints
- Ask what the phrase "never finished saying" implies about a single reading.
- If a book has not finished speaking, then more of it arrives on the next reading.
Show the answer
C. Rereading, whether it yields something a first reading could not
Why
It makes rereading the test. A book that is exhausted by one reading has finished saying what it has to say, however enjoyable it was. This is a claim you can check against your own experience, which is what makes it more useful than definitions resting on age or reputation.
Practise The Canon, Tradition and the Idea of a Classic
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More questions on The Canon, Tradition and the Idea of a Classic
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