Which Books Just Don't Age Well?
Not every classic stands the test of time. Some novels remain timeless masterpieces, but others look racist, sexist, or just don't resonate with modern readers. Here are five classic novels that don't hold up today.
Merrill Publishing Company on Wikimedia
1. Gone With The Wind
The classic novel by Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind, has been under fire in recent years for its portrayal of slavery and romanticized picture of the Confederacy. It's been accused of glorifying life on a plantation.
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on Wikimedia
2. The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye isn't problematic for being racist or sexist; it's just that it's annoying. The protagonist, Holden Caulfield, a privileged boy, is seen as whiny and self-absorbed by today's readers.
3. Moby Dick
Herman Melville's Moby Dick is a massive epic of American literature, but it's fallen out of fashion with contemporary readers. It frequently digresses from the story to talk about whaling, religion, or metaphysics and uses dated language and racial stereotypes.
4. The Sun Also Rises
The Sun Also Rises is a classic novel by Ernest Hamingway. However, it's casual sexism, mysogyny, and antisemitism, can be hard to get past for modern audiences.
Ernest Miller Hemingway on Wikimedia
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is both celebrated and criticized for its frequent use of racial slurs and stereotypes. Twain intended the book to satirize racism, but some of his satire doesn't translate to the modern day and just comes off as racist.
