The Search for the Great American Novel

[KamaAina]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1018341297#post12

I threw out John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces. Tuesday Afternoon countered with Capote's In Cold Blood -- an outstanding choice, assuming that is actually is a novel (it is based on a true story).

So what else has come close to that Platonic ideal of the Great American Novel? I'm not even going to bother with a poll, 'cause there'll be way more than ten seelctions!

[Tuesday Afternoon]

1. The Grapes of Wrath ...

Catcher in the Rye
Little Women
Moby Dick
The Great Gatsby
The Old Man and The Sea
Look Homeward, Angel
Tom Sawyer



I am just getting started ....

lots of good books out there

[KamaAina]

5. Moby Dick takes place at sea.

Are we talking about the greatest novel written by an American, or the greatest novel about America?

[Tuesday Afternoon]

6. ehm ... point made but, I guess it could be either/or ...

or perhaps not ...



confusion, I have a dose.

[uselessobot]

11. Melville was an American last time I checked and having read Moby Dick the book is about Americans

on an American Ship harvesting whales for America.

So why did you throw out Confederacy of Dunces?

There is no single great American Novel, I believe that about every 10 years or so a great novel comes out capturing a slice of America that is just right for the times and because it sells well or is popular it gets called the great American novel or if it is on Oprah's Book club it gets hailed as a great piece of literary work just because Oprah sez so.

[KamaAina]

12. By "throw out" I meant "suggested"

i.e. threw its hat in the ring.

[RiffRandell]

2. The Corrections or Freedom--both by Jonathan Franzen.

Closest depiction of dysfunctional families.

[catnhatnh]

3. John Irving "A Prayer for Owen Meany" N/T

[Wait Wut]

8. !

Great book, great author. My favorite author, in fact.

[Taverner]

4. East of Eden, Haunted, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gatsby,

[Spike89]

7. To Kill a Mockingbird

Not my favorite personally, but it is still powerful.

[vanlassie]

9. Seconded.

[Honeycombe8]

14. Thirded. nt

[Gravitycollapse]

10. Invisible Man or Gravity's Rainbow

[cliffordu]

18. Gravity's Rainbow, yep.

[Tom Ripley]

13. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

However, there are several tied for second place.

[Honeycombe8]

15. Huck Finn, and To Kill A Mockingbird. nt

[Arctic Dave]

16. I would try a book of short stories by Twain.

Mailer or Hemingway for the "guy" books.

And I agree with the other suggestions in this thread.



I asked a similar question years ago to a person at the bookstore and was directed to Atlas Shrugged. If I ever see that guy again I'm going punch him right in the junk.

[KamaAina]

17. I hope you have a very accurate jab

Doesn't sound like his junk would present much of a target.

[Brickbat]

19. Dos Passos' USA trilogy.