The Book Thief By Markus Zusak: An Analysis

Many people argue that the classics have stood the test of time, and so we can place a higher level of trust in their quality. While this is true, age is not the only measure of merit. People are intelligent; we should be able to gauge for ourselves whether a book is well-written, with engaging and complex characters, good literary devices and a creative, nicely-paced plot. These elements are what make a high-quality book, not the date on the copyright page. According to High school reading: Classics or contemporary? by Duaa Eldeib, it says, “(classics) had an inherent virtue in and of their own that every generation should be exposed to. That inherit virtue is the style and history it shows the readers from the book. The novel “The Book Thief”, is a classic for three reasons and those reasons are, history that is shown in the book, the certain style that intrigues others, and it’s a book that should be read, and then reread because of the emotion and meaning it gives the readers.

It brings us back to the past through the books that are written today. So do we define these books as a classic? "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak is one example of a modern book that has both fantastic writing and an engaging plot. It tells the story of a German girl during World War II and uses vivid imagery and an innovative voice to bring the story to life. Narrated by Death, the book uses symbolism and tells a historically important story that is also enjoyable to read. Although, this hasn’t stood the test of time, it has made history into a story. Isn’t that what classics are or should be? The information that this book brings is what classic books should