20th century American Lit recommendations

[kelby_lake]

Could be works or authors. I've read:

To Kill A Mockingbird (didn't like it much)
All of Scott Fitzgerald's novels except Tender is The Night
Tried to read The Old Man and The Sea and Farewell To Arms, but gave up.
Love Tennessee Williams' plays
Love A View From The Bridge and The Crucible, like All My Sons and Death of A Salesman.
Liked some of Sam Shepard's plays: Fool for Love and True West
Of Mice and Men

And I think that's it...

[Virgil]

William Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury, Light In August.

Sherwood Anderson: Winesburg, Ohio

Henry James: The Ambassodors

Hemingway's short stories.

Ralph Elison: Invisible Man

Kut Vonnegut: Slaughter-House Five

Eugene O'Neil: A Long Days Journey Into Night

Truman Capote: In Cold Blood

AnnTyler: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

Toni Morrison: Beloved

Edith Wharton: Ethan Frome

There are others of course. I'm only giving you ones I have personally read and think highly of.

[mayneverhave]

I'd recommend Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, in addition to the two other works you listed. Was there any particular reason you couldn't make it through those two? I've never heard anyone complain about Hemingway's style being too difficult or arduous - is it just plain boring reading to you?

I'd also recommend Faulkner's major 4 novels: The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Light in August, and Absalom, Absalom!

As far as poetics go:

Wallace Steven's Harmonium
T.S. Eliot's entire oeuvre
Ezra Pound's Cantos

Unfortunately my knowledge falters shortly after the 50's

[shortstoryfan]

I really hate books, but I loved The Old Man and the Sea. I don't like Hemingway's writing style, but that story is just...a great story.

[sixsmith]

Herzog - Saul Bellow
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
V - Thomas Pynchon
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov
Where i'm calling from - Raymond Carver
Suttree - Cormac McCarthy
White Noise - Don DeLillo
American Pastoral - Philip Roth
Independence Day - Richard Ford

[motherhubbard]

William Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury, Light In August.



Eugene O'Neil: A Long Days Journey Into Night

Truman Capote: In Cold Blood



Does this mean that you got around to Long Days Journey? What did you think?

In Cold Blood is what I tried to nominate for the thriller poll, but I got it wrong.

I'm going to give Faulkner another try this summer. I love his writing. The subject mater just hits me in the wrong spot.

[BienvenuJDC]

Steinbeck - Of Mice and Men

[Virgil]

Does this mean that you got around to Long Days Journey? What did you think?

In Cold Blood is what I tried to nominate for the thriller poll, but I got it wrong.

I'm going to give Faulkner another try this summer. I love his writing. The subject mater just hits me in the wrong spot.

To me Long Days Journey is one of the greatest of modern drama. Perhaps the best American play of the 20th century.

Faulkner is hard and you told me how it hurts to read him. Yeah I hear you. Perhaps Light In August might not hit you as hard.

[mono]

All of Scott Fitzgerald's novels except Tender is The Night
Tried to read The Old Man and The Sea and Farewell To Arms, but gave up.
Oh, definitely give Tender is the Night a chance - a beautifully written novel that did a lot more for me than The Great Gatsby, and infinitely more philosophical in terms of human nature and interaction.
Not that I question your tastes, kelby_lake, but I felt surprised to read that you did not care much for Hemingway, as I have always found him and Fitzgerald very comparable; they even made good friends in their lifetimes, amid the Lost Generation. To each their own, as both have their differences.

[grotto]

I have always liked Steinbeck, (Except The Grapes of Wrath)
Saul Bellow
Walker Percy

I haven’t read Faulkner yet, but I recently purchased “As I lay Dying” and “The Sound and the Fury”

Hemingway does nothing for me though.

Thanks for the tip Mono, I will have to check out “Tender is the night”. I read the “Great Gatsby” and wasn’t impressed but it sounds like this one may be different.

[mayneverhave]

The Sound and the Fury is Faulkner's most accessible major novel, with Absalom, Absalom! occupying the opposite pole.

[Emil Miller]

Oh, definitely give Tender is the Night a chance - a beautifully written novel that did a lot more for me than The Great Gatsby, and infinitely more philosophical in terms of human nature and interaction.

I have recently read Tender is the Night and would agree that it appears to be more philosophical than The Great Gatsby but the operative wortd is "appears." Gatsby is by far the better novel.

[kelby_lake]

William Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury, Light In August.
Hemingway's short stories.

Eugene O'Neil: A Long Days Journey Into Night


Am intending to read The Sound and Fury- Faulkner is top of my list as I've read none.
Love Long Day's Journey Into Night and agree with Virgil. It's the rawest, most beautifully honest piece of writing I've ever read.

I think short stories might be the way to go for me Hemingway-wise. I want to like him, and when I read short passages of his, I think they're great- especially realism of the dialogue- but it's very 'This is exactly what happened; I'm not going to dress it up' style, which I find hard to get into.

Read and loved Lolita.

Not keen on Kerouac, as in what he writes about.

Oh, I like books about alcoholics :)

[Emil Miller]

Oh, I like books about alcoholics :)

When I write my autobiography, I'll send you a copy.

[PeterL]

Oh, I like books about alcoholics :)

The Aluminum Man by G. C. Edmondson is one of the best novels about an alcoholic even written and is one of the obscure gems of 20th century American fiction.

[Equality72521]

Definately give The Sound and the Fury a chance. Its a little hard to get through, but very worth it. I am enjoying the Socratic Seminar we are having over it right now. It would probably be best for you to read it once - and just read it. Then read it again. Or you could start with the last two sections and then read the first, it all depends on how you read.

Um, Truman Capotes In Cold Blood is amazing. I loved reading that - I definately suggest it. Also The Grass Harp, not my favorite, but it wasn't bad.

The Kitchen Gods Wife, by Amy Tan.

I didn't personally like the novel, but Steinbecks Grapes of Wrath

[dfloyd]

Try Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt, Main Street, and Arrowsmith. Upton Sinclairs' the Jungle.

[Wilde woman]

Catch-22

[Mariamosis]

I have always liked Steinbeck, (Except The Grapes of Wrath)


Anything Steinbeck, and especially 'The Grapes of Wrath'.

Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner although I am not partial to him.
Catcher in the Rye; Franny & Zooey - J.D. Salinger
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Slaughterhouse-five - Kurt Vonnegut
Herzog - Saul Bellow
The Fixer - Bernard Malamud
(some of these may be repeats)

[The Comedian]

Desert Solitaire, Edward Abbey -- It's a great book, and Abbey's prose style is like a cold beer to person who likes books about alcoholics.

[Don Quixote Jr]

20th century American Lit recommendations
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
Huckleberry Finn & Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
Any (or all) novels by Raymond Chandler
Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London
Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat by John Steinbeck
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
Short Stories by Mark Twain

[mayneverhave]

20th century American Lit recommendations
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Huckleberry Finn & Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe


Hah, sorry?

[JohnMelmoth]

What do people on the forum think of Gore Vidal? I have read a lot of his stuff. Last year I read about ten of his novels because he looked really ill and I didn't think he'd last out the year. I thought his outstanding novel was Lincoln and that's the one I would recommend. Julian was good. The City and the Pillar is a pretty good read and took courage to write and publish. Most of the other novels I found just OK, though I loved Live from Golgotha for its irreligiousity. His essays are truly excellent but his memoirs I found disappointing. He's a hero of mine.

[promtbr]

Herzog - Saul Bellow
Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates
V - Thomas Pynchon
Lolita - Vladimir Nabakov
Where i'm calling from - Raymond Carver
Suttree - Cormac McCarthy
White Noise - Don DeLillo
American Pastoral - Philip Roth
Independence Day - Richard Ford

Very Eerie!

If I were asked to suggest a survey or sampling of POST WWII 20th Century American Fiction to a friend, I would have listed the above works. Only with the exception that I would have swapped Blood Meridian with Suttree for McCarthy, and added a selection of Donald Barthelme's short stories, and added any early W.H. Gass.

If I were to make the "Survey Course" less ethnocentric, I would add any work by Toni Morrison and James Welch...

Less chauvanistic I would add Eudora Welty

-------

[PabloQ]

Kelby,
If you're going to accept Hemingway through his short fiction, by all means force yourself to read The Old Man and the Sea. If you don't like that, give him up. It's one of the most beautifully written stories and it's little more than a lengthy short story.
I nominate House of Mirth as Edith Wharton's contribution.
I second the motion for Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, but I don't recommend The Jungle unless you really want to be disappointed and depressed.
Enjoy the journey!!

[kelby_lake]

I think Moby Dick put me off fishy stories :)

[Frankie Anne]

I'm relieved to see that I am not the only person who didn't enjoy "The Grapes of Wrath." I nearly got banned from another forum for saying that. :)

I also recommend "Babbit" by Sinclair Lewis. Haven't gotten to "Main Street" yet. It is in the pile.

[kasie]

Someone has already suggested Bernard Malamud - may I suggest his The Assistant as an either/or/and title as well?

[JBI]

Any book of poetry by Richard Wilbur.

[mono]

What do people on the forum think of Gore Vidal? I have read a lot of his stuff. Last year I read about ten of his novels because he looked really ill and I didn't think he'd last out the year. I thought his outstanding novel was Lincoln and that's the one I would recommend. Julian was good. The City and the Pillar is a pretty good read and took courage to write and publish. Most of the other novels I found just OK, though I loved Live from Golgotha for its irreligiousity. His essays are truly excellent but his memoirs I found disappointing. He's a hero of mine.
I read Creation some time ago and The City and the Pillar a bit more recently, and as much as I understand how and why others love him, he honestly did not do a whole lot for me - nothing, in fact. I agree that I respected The City and the Pillar a bit more, due to its context and plot during its publication time, but Creation . . . :sick:
Ironic I should come across this post, because a good friend of mine and I got into a conversation the other day about Gore Vidal, and he also highly recommended Lincoln. Now that I have heard/seen it promoted in more than one place, perhaps I will give Vidal a third chance, if I feel up to it. Thanks JohnMelmoth. ;)

[sixsmith]

Very Eerie!

If I were asked to suggest a survey or sampling of POST WWII 20th Century American Fiction to a friend, I would have listed the above works. Only with the exception that I would have swapped Blood Meridian with Suttree for McCarthy, and added a selection of Donald Barthelme's short stories, and added any early W.H. Gass.

If I were to make the "Survey Course" less ethnocentric, I would add any work by Toni Morrison and James Welch...

Less chauvanistic I would add Eudora Welty

-------

I should have Gatbsy in here also. I don't do Faulkner and i don't like Hemingway though they should probably be on the list.

Blood Meridian is probably the more seminal and more complete work but i really love the quiet desperation of Suttree. Gass and Barthelme are two authors i really have to check out.

[Virgil]

I have been reading some of Gass's essays and, wow, he is a marvelous writer. I will have to check out his fiction. I just ordered his collection of short stories.

[promtbr]

I should have Gatbsy in here also. I don't do Faulkner and i don't like Hemingway though they should probably be on the list.


That is why I qualified my post that if it were to be a POST WWII survey or a suggested selection.
Of course if it was to be all of 20th cent American it would have to include the big three (Faulkner, Fitzgerald and Hemingway).Also one would of course have to include Cather, Wharton, and Stienbeck (tho not a fan of his writing).
I would refuse to include some commonly taught authors already mentioned in the post.
I like to divide the "survey" into Post and Pre WWII...because the list would be too long and some of the interesting authors 'we' posted would not make the final cut of say 10 or so (imho).

I have only read Blood Meridian of McCarthy's and was sceptical of its hype when I started. It may hold a place among the better PostWW2 American novels... I have heard good things about Suttree tho...


I have been reading some of Gass's essays and, wow, he is a marvelous writer. I will have to check out his fiction. I just ordered his collection of short stories.


Cool. By most reader's and some critics accounts. Gass's early work is favored (Pre Tunnel his magnum opus that the jury's for sure split on). Omensetters Luck is supposed to be one of the neglected gems of American fiction and has been on my TBR list for too long...
His selection of short Stories, In the Heart of the Heart of the Country contains the novella/ long story The Pederson Kid. The prose is amazing, a powerful storyline, captivating narraror and in the top 3 all timers in my reading experience...

[kelby_lake]

Wow, thanks people! Lots of recommendations :)

Any other seminal American Lit works I should be tackling?

[Virgil]

Cool. By most reader's and some critics accounts. Gass's early work is favored (Pre Tunnel his magnum opus that the jury's for sure split on). Omensetters Luck is supposed to be one of the neglected gems of American fiction and has been on my TBR list for too long...
His selection of short Stories, In the Heart of the Heart of the Country contains the novella/ long story The Pederson Kid. The prose is amazing, a powerful storyline, captivating narraror and in the top 3 all timers in my reading experience...

I ordered his collected stories. Judging from the essays he may be the best American prose writer. Cormac McCarthy is up there too. All The Pretty Horses is a fine novel as well as The Road. I have not read Blood Meridan and Suttree but they are supposed to be his best works. I think McCarthy is our best living novelist. Oh, No Country For Old Men is very good too.

[Michael T]

It’s interesting how many of the overwhelmingly American novels recommended in this thread are from the 1920’s and 1930’s. A golden age for American literature for sure. Some great books recommended. I loved 'As I Lay Dying' and really enjoyed 'Tender is the Night', however, for a more far flung outlook what about some of the following:


Milan Kundera ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’
Graham Green ‘The Quiet American’
James Joyce ‘The Dubliners’
Doris Lessing ‘The Golden Notebook’
Gabriel Marquez ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’
Alexander Solzhenitsyn ‘One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’


Any thoughts?

[mayneverhave]

It’s interesting how many of the overwhelmingly American novels recommended in this thread are from the 1920’s and 1930’s. A golden age for American literature for sure. Some great books recommended. I loved 'As I Lay Dying' and really enjoyed 'Tender is the Night', however, for a more far flung outlook what about some of the following:


Milan Kundera ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’
Graham Green ‘The Quiet American’
James Joyce ‘The Dubliners’
Doris Lessing ‘The Golden Notebook’
Gabriel Marquez ‘Love in the Time of Cholera’
Alexander Solzhenitsyn ‘One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich’


Any thoughts?

Aside from them not being American?

[Michael T]

Aside from them not being American?

Ha ha. How dumb am I! My first time on here and didn't notice it was 20th century AMERICAN Literature. I thought there was an overwhelming American bias to the thread. I apologise for my foolishness. MUST TRY HARDER. Thanks for pointing out my error 'mayneverhave' :blush:

[Michael T]

After my last debacle I thought I better try again.

I would defiantly recommend the following AMERICAN novels:

William Faulkner ‘As I lay Dying’

Joseph Heller ‘Catch 22’ and ‘God Only Knows’

F. Scott Fitzgerald ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Tender is the Night’

Dos Passos ‘Manhattan Transfer’ and ‘USA’

Richard Wright ‘Native Son’

Nathaniel West ‘Day of the Locust’

Ernest Hemmingway ’The Sun Also Rises’

Toni Morrison ‘Beloved’

And for a good play what about Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Desire Under the Elms’

[kelby_lake]

Read the O'Neill play- not my favourite, I have to say, a bit too melodramatic. I prefer Mourning Becomes Electra.

Read Gatsby: I really need to get round to reading Tender is The Night- it's the only Fitzgerald novel I haven't read.

[Mortis Anarchy]

After my last debacle I thought I better try again.

I would defiantly recommend the following AMERICAN novels:

William Faulkner ‘As I lay Dying’

Joseph Heller ‘Catch 22’ and ‘God Only Knows’

F. Scott Fitzgerald ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Tender is the Night’

Dos Passos ‘Manhattan Transfer’ and ‘USA’

Richard Wright ‘Native Son’

Nathaniel West ‘Day of the Locust’

Ernest Hemmingway ’The Sun Also Rises’

Toni Morrison ‘Beloved’

And for a good play what about Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Desire Under the Elms’


YES! I love all of the books on this list. I haven't read Dos Passos USA, but it is on my to read list. Everyone that I have met that has read As I Lay Dying hated it, but I think it is one of the greatest books I have ever read. Oh, and as for your other list of books, Gabriel Marquez could work...North America isn't the only America... :thumbs_up :)

[Stargazer86]

William Faulkener- A Light in August
John Steinback- The Pearl, The Red Pony
Scott O'Dell- Island of the Blue Dolphins
Mark Twain- Huckleberry Finn

Not a huge fan of Hemmingway's novels though there is no denying his talent. For example: Old Man and the Sea...I found it rather dry (maybe it was just my mood when I read it) and didn't enjoy it as I usually do with stories, but could certainly appreciate the message and the allegory of Christ

I remember reading Steinback and O'Dell's books as a child and really enjoying them. I was older when I read A Light in August which I also enjoyed. I've always been more partial in English literature rather than American though there are certainly some gems out there. I'm interested in exploring more American literature. I will certainly be looking into some of your suggestions.

[fb0252]

To high light some I've read, my scale of 1-10:

10 Chaucer
10 Goethe
10 George Eliot
10 Molliere
10 Montaigne
9 Edith Wharton
9 Ambassadors
6+ Norman Mailer
5+ Sound And Fury
5+ Ayn Rand
4 Gatsby
4 Catch 22
4 As I Lay Dying
3 All The Pretty Horses
0 White Noise
0 Of Mice And Men

I've read several good American books that get little pub, and would be greatful if anyone would identify recent (since 2000) American lit that might be rated with the likes of Edith Wharton or some of the great authors.

[kelby_lake]

Update!

I read Tender is The Night. Really love it :)
I'm willing to give Hemingway another go- I loved A Moveable Feast and really liked The Sun Also Rises.

Faulkner-wise, I've only read Soldier's Pay.