Classic is a term derived from the Latin classici, the name given to the citizens belonging to the first or highest of the six classes into which the Romans were divided. Hence the Greek and Roman authors have been in modern times called classics, that is, the excellent, the models. The Germans, however, soon gave the word Hassisch (classical) a wider sense, making it embrace: 1, the standard works of any nation; and 2, ancient literature and art, in contradistinction to the modern; and their example was followed by both the British and the French. A third use of the term, in contradistinction to Romantic, is scarcely comprised under those cited, implying adherence to the established literary or artistic convention of some previous period, as opposed to the insurgence of new elements shaping a new convention. In this sense classic usually implies the predominance of form over emotion and thought, while its antonym Romantic implies the predominance of emotion and the departure from the old formal standards. Research Classic
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Research Classic