Appreciating literature
鉴赏文学

What is classic literature?
什么是经典文学作品？
Classics are the antiques of the literary world.
经典文学作品是文学世界的珍贵遗产。
They are novels, plays and poems that were written a long time ago and were so well written that people still read them nowdays.
它们是很久以前创作的小说，戏剧和诗歌，写得很好，直至今日人们仍然在阅读这些作品。
They are examples of great writing and wisdom, and even those written centuries ago can still be found in bookshops and libraries today.
他们代表着伟大的作品和智慧，甚至在今天的书店和图书馆里，我们依然能找到几个世纪前的作品。
Because a lot of classics were written so long ago, their language characteristics are quite diffent from those of modern works.
由于许多经典文学作品创作于很久以前，因此其中所使用的语言与我们今天使用的语言有很大的区别。
This makes them difficult for some people to read, so they are often left to gather dust on shelves.
这导致了部分人很难看懂它们，因此这些经典作品往往被遗忘在书架上落满了尘土。
Many people do not read them because they think classics are old and boring and have nothing to do with life today.
许多人不去阅读它们因为他们认为这些作品过时而且枯燥，并且与当今的生活毫无关联。
However, if this is true, why do we still find these classics in bookshops and libraries?
然而，如果真的是这样，为什么我们还能在书店和图书馆里看到这些经典作品呢？
They have not disappeared and still have a place in the world.
它们并没有消失，并且仍占有一席之地。
Why else would many films adapted from them be successful?
否则为什么会有那么多由它们改编而成的电影获得成功呢？
In 1995，an award-winning film based on Jane Austen's novel Emma came out.
1995年，一部获奖影片就是根据简·奥斯丁的小说改编的。
Three years later, in 1998, a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations appeared in cinemas.
三年后的1998年，根据查尔斯·狄更斯的小说《远大前程》改编的现代版电影在电影院上映。
Nobody would bother to make these classic novels into films if they had nothing to do with contemporary life.
假如这些经典小说与当今生活毫无关联的话，没有人会抱怨将它们改编成电影。