The Great American Novel

So the other day I was on Facebook and I saw an article linked through The Great Gatsby fan page. It was an article Jay McInerney talking about why The Great Gatsby is the best American novel of all time. I skimmed through what he said and I found myself in agreement with much of what he said, but then it got me thinking about the larger category of novels Fitzgerald’s book belongs to – the Great American novels.

Huck Finn, I believe, was the first book to be called the Great American novel, and since then people like Fitzgerald, Pynchon, and Wallace have been inducted into this club. The interesting thing about the Great American novels is that they are so very different from one another. Huck Finn is worlds different from Gravity’s Rainbow, and all the others are equally different in their own way. So, what is it about these novels that make them all so great?

Well, I think a lot of it – and I think this sort of goes without saying – has to do with the way that these books encapsulate the current feeling of the American paradigm. America is an ever-changing nation, and that is perhaps the main reason why all of the Great American novels are all so different. But, who is to say that the novels in this club are the best representations of America? Is that even the standard?

I’m not sure.

I do know, however, that the books on the list that I have explored are rather interesting, and I think that some are very deserving of the title and some I’m just okay with. I think there are other novels that better capture the state of America. Thompson’s Rum Diary, for instance, is a great novel when it comes to the whole capturing America bit.

So, folks, what do you think a novel needs to express in order to be called the Great American novel? Do you think some of the novels on the list are less deserving than others? What are some you wish were on the list? You tell me.

Until Next Time,

J