In Search of the Great American Novel

The idea of the "Great American Novel" was first put forward in print three years after the Civil War. Though as hard to define as it is to produce, the idea of the Great American Novel seemed to require a work of literature that said something quintessential about the American experience for all time. Because a novel covering all of the epochs of American history would be impossibly unwieldly, most who have taken the time to decide what constituted the Great American Novel have had to settle for works that seemed to capture the mood and character of one of those particular epochs. Perhaps if James Michener had written a book entitled "America," instead of "Hawaii," "Texas," or "Centennial," that might have been the universally acclaimed Great American Novel. Unfortunately for us he found the narrower subjects of his novels more than adequate.

Henry James was reported to have said that he doubted that America could, in fact, produce the Great American Novel. Most familiar with American literature would vehemently disagree, though getting them to agree on which of the many candidates for the Great American Novel are, in fact, the greatest is a rewarding albeit not easy task. It is very likely that few have read all of the candidates most frequently mentioned, I certainly have not, but here are the ones I have found.

Three novels are most often mentioned as being the Great American Novel. The first is Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." Of the three this is most predictable choice and is certainly a difficult one with which to take issue. The second, Herman Melville's "Moby Dick," which I must admit I have never been able to read in its entirety, but which incorporates a theme of singleminded maniacal vengeance and seems to me, at least, to be more Shakespearean than American. The last, J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" was the biggest surprise, in part because of the urban legends that have grown up around it concerning the reports that certain high profile assassins had the book in their possession and/or were obsessed with it.

Other novels frequently suggested for the title included James Fenimore Cooper's "The Last of the Mohicans," F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird," Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," John Steinbecks "The Grapes of Wrath," and Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind," (which one would think ought to have outlived its appeal being the Ku Klux Klan propaganda piece that it most admittedly is).

Then, of course, there are the works that for one reason or another often seem deserving but are either less read, or as is frequently the case, too modern to be held in serious contention by most scholars. Four of what I consider the greatest 20th century American authors (Faulkner, Hemingway, Mailer and Hunter Thompson) works are not found in the first two tiers though each have works that merit occasional consideration.

For Faulkner there are two, "The Light in August" and "Sound and the Fury." Hemingway is a more difficult case to make because his greatest works were not set in America. The two that are most frequently mentioned, "The Sun Also Rises," and "The Old Man and the Sea," are set in France and Spain and Cuba respectively. I would have added "For Whom The Bell Tolls," which is set in the Spanish Civil War.

Mailer is mentioned most often for "The Executioner's Song," and just very occasionally for "The Armies of the Night." I would have added "The Naked and the Dead," certainly the quintessential late 40s, early 50s American novel and a definite candidate, in my humble opinion, for the overall title. Thompson is mentioned only for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," which while undeniably a work of troubled genius does not rise to the level of timeless greatness, although perhaps the events portrayed are still too recent to judge.

Certainly Thompson was more than a little unique, much like the times of which he wrote. True, like Hemingway, he took his own life, perhaps more interestingly it was said that rather than sign books for fans who would show up at his door, he would shoot them (the books not the fans although who knows if his aim was a bit off). Certainly of all American authors, his funeral was the most unique. Reportedly his ashes were incorporated into $2 million worth of fireworks (funded by Johnny Depp who did an amazing job playing Hunter in the movie based on "Fear and Loathing") and launched into the sky in what all present described as an incredible experience.

Another modern American writer whose work I would have included for strong consideration is the late great Mario Puzo, and "The Godfather."

Other works mentioned, many of which I will admit I am unfamiliar include, Saul Bellow's "The Adventures of Augie March," John Dos Passos' "USA trilogy", Ken Kesey's "Sometimes A Great Notion" (why not Cuckoo's Nest?), Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle," Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse Five," Toni Morrison's "Beloved," Jack Kerouac's "On the Road," (I loved Kerouac's style and energy but again did not think it timeless), "The Red Badge of Courage," "An American Tragedy," "A Prayer for Owen Meany," "The Invisible Man," and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."

It seems clear that the issue of what is or would constitute the Great American Novel would be the subject of endless debate, and I would more than welcome readers suggestions and criticisms, but Henry James aside, examination of the subject reveals a literary tradition as beautiful, varied and sometimes troubled as the great nation itself.