Ragtime is usually defined as a song that is in 2/4 time or 4/4 time people usually get it confused with 3/4 time however that is considered a ragtime waltz. Ragtime is used by taking the base line and using progressive harmonic chords that may be punch or silent while the melody is carried out through the Alto,Soprano lines as it uses syncopation which makes the song being played off beat and unexpected. It's related to jazz by the fact that Jazz itself rather replaced Ragtime due to the rising amount of bands that added a unique style to the ragtime with a 70+ BPM and usually included it in many records.
Abstract it is similar to picasso in it's random lines and colors.
If you are talking about books, then there are two important American classics that were written in 1947, so I guess you can choose either one of them:
1. A Streetcar Named Desire, written by Tennessee Williams
2. The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck
If you are not talking about books, then you should tell us what you mean by classics.
