Some classics stand up to time; I contend that anything Hemingway wrote would be well received even if written today. The style and content are timeless and the books are engaging to a modern audience.
But I wonder that about War and Peace, the book you pick up because you’ve heard it’s what Serious Bookies read.
As a 1,200 page book about a relatively unknown war set hundreds of years ago, in which a litany of characters are produced that span over a decade of time, I wonder how many modern publicists would have given it a chance. And how many modern readers would have come close to finishing it had it not had Tolstoy on the cover.
What do you think? Does the book stand on its own merit to a modern audience? Would you (or a publisher) actually pick up a similar book today?
by adyo4552
6 Comments
No, simply because it’s just too big and our attention span could never
Yeah, but only if they used Tolstoy’s original title, *War: What is it Good For?*
A relatively unknown war? I wouldn’t say the Napolenonic Wars are unknown. It would be published by the type of publisher the publishes literary fiction. It would not be well known or popular, because it is too long and too Russian to sell well to a modern Western audience.
If released today it would be an HBO show or something not a novel and it would be incredibly popular.
Probably not, at least as a stand-alone book. My opinion; as a society we seek instant gratification … most reward for the least effort. So, a giant novel like W&P would likely appeal only to a select group.
But even then, it would probably require breaking up into volumes or an epic series.
I don’t think whether something appeals to the goldfish-brained modern audience is a question of having enough “merit.” But I do think it would have a niche but very passionate fandom.
Despite all the hoopla made about how long it is, it’s actually one of the most accessible and readable 19th century “classic” novels. I find Tolstoy to be the most relatable and moving novelist of the 1800s (which I’ve read hundreds of novels from, it’s my favorite century literature-wise) because his characters are so human.