Recently, I taught a two-part class on what makes for Timeless, Timely, or Trendy Fiction, which, of course led me to consider the hallmarks of each of those types of works.

Here I’m considering TIMELESS FICTION, works that remain relevant through generations of readers. Somehow, these works have an almost magical kind of prescience. They could have been written 100+ years ago, but we continue to recognize ourselves and our world in them. Perhaps not the literal trappings, but in terms of character journeys, themes, sources of conflict, and so much more, they continue to feel fresh and authentic and to speak to what it means to be human and alive RIGHT NOW.

A few elements I find common in timeless works:

• ICONIC CHARACTERS who represent our aspirational selves. Our hopes enacted on the page and our fears overcome through courageous action.

• NARRATIVE VOICE that is authentic, dimensional, and confidently expressed.

• CLEAR CONFLICTS AND SATISFYING RESOLUTIONS with meaningful and familiar story arcs. While some classic short fiction plays with form, most lasting fiction delivers a more traditional structure.

• FASCINATING WORLDS that invite us places we’ve never been—or help us see familiar places through new eyes.

• POWERFUL IDEAS/UNIVERSAL THEMES that strike emotional chords. Stories that are about something more than just what unfolds in the plot.

• PERSONAL AND PUBLIC STAKES we can invest in as readers. Stories with both depth and scope.
  

WHAT MIGHT STAND IN THE WAY OF TIMELESSNESS?

• Vague “every-person”-type characters who are acted upon through the entire story rather than acting.

• Experimental story structures/forms.

• Trendy sub-genres.

• Ongoing and overly specific references to pop culture, current technology, etc.

• An over-reliance on current slang/idioms.

• Small ideas/themes that don’t feel universal.

• Dense, “fussy” writing.

• Flat, boring, or underdeveloped worlds.
  

SOME TIMELESS FICTION EXAMPLES:

LITTLE WOMEN by Louisa May Alcott
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
PRIDE AND PREDJUDICE by Jane Austen
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
MOBY DICK by Herman Melville
THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What are some other timeless stories, in your view?
Why do you think the above stories have endured?
What contemporary works (of the last 10-20 years) do you think will still be read in 50-100+ years? Why?

Drop a line and share your thoughts!