What is a literary classic and why are these classic works important to the world?
A literary classic is a work of the highest excellence that has something important to say about life and/or the human condition and says it with great artistry. A classic, through its enduring presence, has withstood the test of time and is not bound by time, place, or customs. It speaks to us today as forcefully as it spoke to people one hundred or more years ago, and as forcefully as it will speak to people of future generations. For this reason, a classic is said to have universality. Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 22, 1859. After his father was institutionalized because of epilepsy, Doyle’s mother encouraged the young boy to explore literature, which he did. However, as a young man, Doyle seemed destined for a career as a doctor, not an author; he went to Edinburgh University, graduated, and even began to practice medicine, specializing in eye care. Doyle married Louise Hawkins in 1884 and sometime later, began writing seriously. His first story dealing
