The Influences of Classic Literature on Today's Society (my most recent school assignment).

Anyone who has ever visited a library or bookstore has seen, if not read, such popular literature as Harry Potter, the Lord of the Rings, and Percy Jackson, but is everyone aware of how strong the influences of other, less recent books have been on these series? Somehow, it seems that most people miss the allusions, themes, and other references that litter the pages of our favorite modern books. Everything from the very plot of a story to the names of the characters themselves may have been influenced by another work by another author, and modern literature is not the only thing in modern culture that’s been affected. Chances are, if one was to walk up to someone and refer to “Big Brother,” or say someone was like “Walter Mitty,” the listener would likely understand what that related to- and those are hardly recent concepts. The idea that literature affects only literature, and that we are free from it in our everyday lives, is an erroneous one. Classic literature has had a huge effect on modern, Western culture, with an influence on everything from the phrases we say to the works of writing we read.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a classic is “a work of ancient Greek or Latin writers or philosophers,” although it also defines it as “a work of art of recognized and established value.” Although a true piece of classic literature is, in the traditional sense, at least, a work from ancient Rome or Greece, the less formal definition also includes more recent titles, such as Frankenstein: The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee and 1984, by George Orwell, among others.
One of the most easily describable examples of these influences in literature is the aforementioned world renowned fantasy series, Harry Potter. In fact, Harry Potter is even considered by some to be a classic. With careful examination, a multitude of references can be found in these novels. For example, there are dozens of names in the series that have been adapted to suit the personalities and futures of the characters themselves. Some of these are: Remus Lupin, who is revealed to be a werewolf in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (his name comes from the mythical founder of ancient Rome and brother of Romulus); Argus Filch, after the Greek Argus the All-Seeing, a watchman with 100 eyes; Minerva McGonagall, whose namesake is the Roman goddess of wisdom and war; and Sirius Black, who gets his nomenclature from the constellation Canis Major, more specifically the “Dog Star,” Sirius, which was considered godly in tales by the ancient Egyptians and Greeks. Dedalus Diggle, Olympe Maxime, Mulciber, and Bertha Jorkins are all other examples of the author’s habit to reuse old names, not to mention Hermione, one of the three protagonists in the story, whose name was taken directly from Shakespeare’s “Much Ado about Nothing.” (Granger 1.)
The influences of Romantic Era literature on today’s writing are just as evident as those of the Greeks and Romans. For example, many stories from this time period are now being adapted to suit modern audiences, or summarized and analyzed in books of their own. Some examples of these works are Frankenstein: The Darker Passions, by Amarantha Knight, Dean Koontz’ Frankenstein, by, fittingly enough, Dean Koontz, and Frankenstein Makes Me a Sandwich, by Adam Rex, among others. Additionally, returning to the idea of the effects of ancient literature, some people believe that there are only seven main plots, and that all books written after the original seven are merely these seven put in different settings with different characters. These seven plots are as follows: voyage and return, rebirth, tragedy, the quest, comedy, overcoming the monster, and rags to riches. (Granger 8.) Thusly, examples of writings that have been influenced by classic literature include The Lord of the Rings, Gulliver’s Travels, A Christmas Carol, Hamlet, Dracula, and Cinderella.
As previously stated, however, literature is not the sole object of influence in today’s society. The analogies made in everyday life to literature and movies (most of which have, in turn, been influenced or are based on this literature) are numerous. They are so numerous, in fact, that most people hardly notice them at all when used in conversation. However, an immigrant from a place with an entirely different culture and set of stories might have no idea what the “Cheshire Cat” was, and, thusly, the sentence “He grinned like the Cheshire Cat” would have little to no meaning to them. The famous William Shakespeare has had such a huge influence on the way Americans and Englishman speak today that several words in the English language were literally invented by him- words used every day, such as “dwindle,” “impartial,” “lonely,” “majestic,” and “suspicious.” (Granger 7.) Shakespeare is also known for penning common phrases. Some phrases originally used in Shakespeare’s plays that are still popular include “wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve,” “it’s Greek to me,” “eat out of house and home,” and “break the ice.” (Granger 6)
Incorrect or altered references are also common. Near Halloween, for example, shops are filled to the brim with green, stitched “Frankensteins,” one associates with Hollywood movies. As anyone who has ever opened Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein will know, the monster in the tale is not known as Frankenstein at all, nor does he have a greenish hue or bear bolts in his head. Bram Stoker’s Dracula, too, is a prime example of this, which has evolved so much that modern vampire literature involves not the blood sucking, darkly gruesome creatures of the Romantic Era, but instead beautiful, alluring, almost innocent vampires of Twilight and other modern writings that have followed in the path of its success.
It is clearly evident that the past continues to influence the future and the present, especially through the writings that have been handed down through the centuries. Whether the characters and ideals described in these tales remain the same or evolve until they are almost unrecognizable is beside the point, because the influence is there, whether it is noticed or not. From the Anglo-Saxon writers of Beowulf, to the Romans and Greeks, to Shakespeare, to Romantic Era novelists, and now to modern authors, what the public reads will continue to affect how the public speaks and what the public reads, and even how the public thinks.