discuss how sonata form is characteristic of the classical period?

I will try to be short so as to not make the academic idea
of "sonata form" sound even more complicated than many academians have already made
it.

At its base, sonata form is structure of the highest
order.  It dictates exactly how a piece will play out.  It makes music rather
predictable, and it provides an even platform for listening.  This is no different than
popular music of today.

Nearly everybody does Introduction
(usually instrumental)-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Chorus.  This is no
different.

Sonata form is: Introduction, Exposition,
Development, Recapitulation, Coda.

It speaks of the
Classical Period in that it speaks of structure--a structure that is copied even today.
 Because you have two men (Haydn and Mozart) who almost exclusively represent the
Classical Period, and these men favored this form, it represents what most people know
of the period.

As Beethoven bridges the gap between the
Classical and Romantic Periods (he is the last Classical and first Romantic composer)
his desire to move away from the "stodgy" sonata form solidifies its place IN the
Classical Period while other forms live outside the Classical period.  It lived and died
there.

That's the simple version--I hope it
helps.