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Thread: American Novels

  1. #1
    Registered User Alyoshka's Avatar
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    American Novels

    I and a couple of friends are going to the States for the first time of our lives this summer for a road trip. Now I thought it was about time to start planning what I should read, both before going and while road tripping; therefore, I thought I should seek your advice!

    What I want are those kind of novels that really define the United States of America. They could be old or new, long or short, but they must be the kind of book that never could've been written by a foreigner. I hope someone understands what I'm aiming at although I'm unable to explain myself very well here.

    I'm really looking forward for your recommendations here!

  2. #2
    Registered User kelby_lake's Avatar
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    If you're road tripping, read On The Road.

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    If you go through the South, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, etc pick up some William Faulkner. You can visit his home Rowan Oak in Oxford, MS if you are nearby.

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    Voice of Chaos & Anarchy
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    If you go through New England, then the novels of Kenneth Roberts would fit the bill.

    As a general matter there are no "novels that really define the United States of America," because the U.S.A. is not a unitary country; it is a federation of fifty sovereign states.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by kelby_lake View Post
    If you're road tripping, read On The Road.
    Definitely.

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    Plainsong, by Kent Haruf --- about a small semi-rural community in the Midwest
    Our lives in art, by Jennifer S. Davis --- great short stories set in the South
    The Emperor's children, by Claire Messud --- about a group of sophisticated New York urbanites

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    Pièce de Résistance Scheherazade's Avatar
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    Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson

    Cannery Row by Steinbeck
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    "It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
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    Ghost in the Machine Michael T's Avatar
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    If you're going to Hollywood...'The Day of the Locust' by Nathanael West.

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    Registered User metal134's Avatar
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    Anything by William Faulkner or John Steinbeck.

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    Skol'er of Thinkery The Comedian's Avatar
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    Walden - by Henry Thoreau will tell you much of the best of the American spirit and describe the worst of us as well.
    “Oh crap”
    -- Hellboy

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    Registered User sixsmith's Avatar
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    The adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow

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    Registered User Emil Miller's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by The Comedian View Post
    Walden - by Henry Thoreau will tell you much of the best of the American spirit and describe the worst of us as well.
    But don't try to find Thoreau's cabin. Apparently it is now buried under a six-lane highway.

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    Registered User PoeticPassions's Avatar
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    I second the Steinbeck.

    Or even some Dreiser or Fitzgerald. But I would also maybe read some Rick Moody (for more modern day and a look into suburbia) or perhaps Vonnegut, though maybe he would give a different picture of America and its culture.
    "All gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their strings, and so, give them the power to pull ours." -Aldous Huxley

    "Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires." -William Blake

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    Registered User Alyoshka's Avatar
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    Thank you for all your recommendations! I will check out all of them and see what I end up with... I already have On The Road.

    I guess I expected a reply like PeterL's, and I do understand that there are 50 sovereign states and all that, but there have to be something in common too, right? After all, it is the UNITED States of America. What unites? It would probably be a bit like looking at Europe as a whole, which is possible, but to find one or a few books that define Europe would be extremely difficult. I'll admit that. Then again, you have the language in common.

    Anyway, PeterL's point taken, I will let you know where we're going. We will arrive in New York and stay there come days. Then we'll catch the road and head for Pittsburgh, Cleveland, and Chicago. From there we haven't really planned much, but Miami is our final destination. And we will do plenty of detours. That's our main plan, but then again, you can't really plan them.

  15. #15
    Voice of Chaos & Anarchy
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    Quote Originally Posted by Brian Bean View Post
    But don't try to find Thoreau's cabin. Apparently it is now buried under a six-lane highway.
    There isn't a six lane highway there, but Walden Pond is not rural anymore.

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