Keep the aspidistra flying - George Orwell (1936)
by hajeka

Comment:
I think the aspidistra alone is too literal to serve as a visual extension of the novel although in the image, it does have the thrust of motion upward and away and so appears to reflect the title. The strictly photographic qualities do not make it stand out beyond a simple plant macro however, so it is difficult to consider better than an average vote. 5

City-of-Glass
by artistChan

Comment:
It's a real stretch to call this a "classic" novel and although the very harsh processing does add a brittle quality (as of glass in a fantasy world), in the end the extreme processing becomes too overpowering and the digital artifacts dominate the impact, especially in the mottled sky and the black mush of the shadows. 5

The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
by Bensted

Comment:
Black Swan or at least a goose it is.. Comp, tones and detail add up to an appealing image. 6

Hold back the water
by whiterook

Comment:
Don't know the book and can't find it with Google. Doesn't seem to have any reference to the dike plugging story, so regrets for defaulting to a DNMC. The image looks unprocessed on my monitor, but could be improved in a photo editor as with most digital images. Overall, it needs contrast and some selective editing to bring out detail and accurate colors. 4

Tribute to O.Henry
by lei_73

Comment:
Why choose a short story writer for a "Classic Novel" topic? Visually I love the wet cabbage. Hold for topics such as "colitis cures", or "vegan card party" challenges. 5 for the cabbage.

On Golden Pond
by dtremain

Comment:
This lacks atmosphere or a connection to the "golden" aspect of the story. Just a country pond. Color is good but the composition is uncommitted. Like a passing glance with lots of trees and not much pond. Could have been better as a landscape centering on the pond's breadth and depth with watery reflections of gold and red. Even a simple cropping out the upper 60% of the shot could come closer to title's idea. 4

Catcher in the Wry
by daisydavid

Comment:
I suppose this is a "wry" take on "rye" but I'm sorry for not getting it. I look forward to some kind of hint when voting is over. Trying even to relate the pictural elements is a struggle. Let's see: black curtain; Hendricks poster; another poster seems familiar but can't place it; a balding smiley face (lurking in the Hendrix Experience museum?); and a sprig of rye? Probably. But what does it all mean? Something obscure, at least to me. I like obscurity. 6

you have left a part of your heart, of your blood, of your soul, in those pavements - Les Misérables
by Epsi

Comment:
The sentiment seems a stretch mitigated by the quote to guide our thinking. So we see residue and I think detritus of past lives such as Jean Valjean's on the run. Still a stretch, but I enjoy edgy shots and this has a spare visual quality that prompts our minds to take another look and thought. 6, for the edge.

Don Quixote (de la mancha)
by Harlequin

Comment:
Windmills in his mind. I like the point of view here as seen by the knight - a target for his lance. Technically, it's a little dull - some processing to bring out contrast and details would help. I give it a 7 for content, a 6 for composition and a 5 for technique. Result: 6

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury
by ThingFish

Comment:
Beautifully appropriate setting and well executed nocturnal atmosphere captures the spirit of the novel. 8