What is that special ingredient that makes certain adventure novels so beloved?

By motionGoose

Treasure Island, Count of Monte Cristo, Captain Blood, Robinson Crusoe… all that kind of stuff. I keep wondering what the real “make it a classic” ingredient is. Like, is it different depending on the book, or are there a couple universal qualities that adventure stories have that make them stick around? Obviously you need the usual good stuff—characters that work, a story that keeps moving, decent writing. And yeah, stakes/peril and a solid villain help too, but it’s not like those are unique to the classics. So what else is there? Something people don’t really talk about. Is it the era they came out in, or marketing, or that hard-to-explain magic vibe that just makes you care? I don’t know, but I’m curious what these ones have that other adventure novels don’t.