Masterpiece Theater: The Politics of Hawthorne's Literary Reputation

THE CLASSIC DEFINITION OF A CLASSIC, AS A WORK THAT HAS WITHSTOOD THE TEST time, was formulated by Samuel Johnson in his Preface to Shakespeare. Where productions genius are concerned, wrote Johnson, of which the excellence is not absolute and definite but gradual and comparative, . . no other test can be applied than length duration and continuance esteem. Once a great author has outlived his century, he continues,