Classical literature?

Yes, I am going to major in English. This means I will have to read the classics at some point during the next two years. I've never read a single piece of classical literature in my life. Or if I have, I've successfully blocked it out. I've never read Moby Dick, or Of Mice and Men, The Grapes of Wrath, Romeo and Juliet, or anything by Shakespeare. Maybe I should have, but I'm a girl. I like stories with happy endings. Anything that has a "happy ever after" is what tickles my fancy. Sue me.

The first book I ever read - meaning the first full length adult novel - was in the seventh grade and I had to do a book report on a work of fiction. My mother was an avid Stephen King fan, so she had a lot of his books in the house. For my book report, I read Fire Starter. From that day on, I was a voracious reader. I ate up everything he'd ever written and for years, I read only Stephen King with a small dash of Dean Koontz when King was between book releases.

Many years pass, and I do mean many. I was at work one night, second shift as a secretary in an Intensive Care Unit, and it was a particularly slow night. One of the girls from the day staff left a romance novel in the desk drawer. Now, I had always scoffed at romance novels, calling them "smut books" or "porn novels", but I had nothing to do and hours to go until quitting time. I picked it up and started to read. From that day on, I was like "Stephen who??". I don't think I ever read one of his books since, although I did still pick up Dean Koontz every once in a blue moon. I found my "happy ever after" fix, and I read so much that I ruined my eyesight. I spent every waking moment with my nose in a book until I could no longer focus on things in the distance. I now have a book case filled to bursting with books, ninety percent of them romance novels. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, what can I say?

Which leads me to the title of this posting. Classical literature. What makes it so good that it's considered a classic? Was it because these works were written during a time when many authors didn't have any sort of formal training or education in writing? Was it because there were so few people eager to write that anything that did get published was eaten up like starving beggars at a free buffet? I've read a few now, particularly Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. They depressed me. Tragic love stories really depress me. While Pride and Prejudice did have a happy ending, the rest of the entire story, except the last few pages they were at odds with each other. Why did I need to read those again? I've already bought a ebook copy of Moby Dick. Let's hope that's not depressing from start to finish, shall we?