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Hello,
This might sound like a weird question but I'm looking for a (preferably public-domain) book that's set in a small American town during the 50's (or earlier, but not earlier than the 20's). I'm mainly interested in the language used in such environment (speech, dialect etc.) Can anyone point me to such a novel? It'd be ideal if I could access it on the Internet.
Thank you very much.
Eaton
Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson is a collection of interrelated short stories taking place in the small town mentioned in the title and it is available online: http://www.bartleby.com/156/
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee takes place in a small town (in 1930s) but it is not available online free.
Regional dialect was much stronger in the past. Is there a specific region in which you are interested.
As Scheherazade recommended, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird seems the best comment; I would also suggest J.D. Salinger's The Catcher In The Rye; anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald, including The Great Gatsby, takes place in the 1920's and 30's; I would also try The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, and The Brothers K by David James Duncan.
Good luck!
Thanks for all the titles, everyone. I'll try to check them out.
@PeterL: No, I'm not thinking of a specific region. As long as it's apparent that the story's characters speak a different dialect than Standard English, it's okay.
How about one often ignored classic, The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington?