Should the Pages Keep Turning?

Classic novels can run the gambit on the spectrum for everyone; they and the aesthetics they provide can be beloved and acclaimed, or—like math—they can be viewed as convoluted, confusing, and meaningless (especially in the eras that precede them).  

Old-world novels such as Lord of the Flies, Pride and Prejudice, The Secret Garden, and The Great Gatsby are time capsules with timeless messages within them. Such messages revolve around friendship, loss or abandonment, enjoying life while it lasts, and sexism. Pride and Prejudice, for example, focuses on how love may warp, change, and vanish between characters Elizabeth and Darcy--still an applicable lesson for younger generations to learn. A Summit News article elaborates, “Anything that is truly classic, no matter when it was written, is going to have those universal themes ... they are going to deal with things like what it means to be human, what love is, different things around how we interact, how we treat each other, and all those things are important.”  

While true, some may argue that the difference in eras (both when the novel is written and when it is set) can render a novel insignificant or even offensive. Novels such as The Catcher in the Rye have been banned in several school districts due to their intense nature, which includes themes of self-alienating based on self-preservation and loss of innocence. Such censorship led many to believe these works are too obscene for younger audiences. As a result, the works and their controversial histories fall into obscurity.  

What are your thoughts? Is self-discovery worth controversy and bypassing censorship? Are classic novels still essential handbooks for navigating a modern, ever-growing world?