I loved this essay! I too have been obsessed with this list. Two books I would add (that I think fulfill many of the characteristics you mentioned) are HOLES by Louis Sachar and ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong.
This was such a thoughtful exploration of these themes. Also, your observation about the British classics that are more popular here in America is so fascinating to me!
Loved this Sara. It was my American Fiction class in high school that started me down the path to study literature and this article took me back! Thank you!
Sara, thanks for raising a provocative question. I’d say what makes a Great American Novel is a moving target since our tastes and our priorities change. It deeply reflects our experiences in this country and in so doing strikes a broad chord.
This is such a fascinating and thoughtful exploration of this topic! So interesting to apply this to the list from the Atlantic as well as to ponder as I finish up this year teaching American Literature in my homeschool group. As we close out our school year in a couple of months, I'd love to refer to your Substack, Sara, using your main points as part of a discussion with my class about what they think defines a Great American Novel as well as how they think the books we read fit with your ideas about characteristics of a GAN. I hope that's okay to do.
For me the “GAN”, in the sense that it explores American identity, is the one that puts Americans in Europe in order to investigate the past America thinks it can forget. This is Henry James, Edith Wharton, James Baldwin, even Patricia Highsmith. If we wanted to choose a “great American genre novel” (GAGN) it would have to be “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The foundational myth of America is that we are the first nation to consciously create ourselves by severing all ties with the past, yet somehow the past keeps reasserting itself. That’s the last line in Gatsby. The step that “Ripley” takes which is truly radical is that he gets away with it and he succeeds in reinventing himself. In this vision, we really can escape the past, which makes it the most American of novels (even if it’s deluded).
Y’all. I DID NOT KNOW that Octavia Butler coined MAGA 🤯
I really enjoyed reading this, as well as perusing the Atlantic list. Almost feels like it’s begging to be a new reading project… 👀
I loved this essay! I too have been obsessed with this list. Two books I would add (that I think fulfill many of the characteristics you mentioned) are HOLES by Louis Sachar and ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong.
I am super interested in deep diving into this list by decade. I would 100% start with the 1970s books.
Great, thought provoking essay! I’m just glad to see we have expanded our criteria for the GAN because previously the list was so “white.”
This was such a thoughtful exploration of these themes. Also, your observation about the British classics that are more popular here in America is so fascinating to me!
I enjoyed reading this Sara! I love seeing Fates & Furies and Erasure on this list
Just had this thought: If it had an eligible pub date, I think Custom of the Country could have been a list contender!
I guess I can't access this article unless I have a subscription?
Loved this Sara. It was my American Fiction class in high school that started me down the path to study literature and this article took me back! Thank you!
Sara, thanks for raising a provocative question. I’d say what makes a Great American Novel is a moving target since our tastes and our priorities change. It deeply reflects our experiences in this country and in so doing strikes a broad chord.
This is such a fascinating and thoughtful exploration of this topic! So interesting to apply this to the list from the Atlantic as well as to ponder as I finish up this year teaching American Literature in my homeschool group. As we close out our school year in a couple of months, I'd love to refer to your Substack, Sara, using your main points as part of a discussion with my class about what they think defines a Great American Novel as well as how they think the books we read fit with your ideas about characteristics of a GAN. I hope that's okay to do.
For me the “GAN”, in the sense that it explores American identity, is the one that puts Americans in Europe in order to investigate the past America thinks it can forget. This is Henry James, Edith Wharton, James Baldwin, even Patricia Highsmith. If we wanted to choose a “great American genre novel” (GAGN) it would have to be “The Talented Mr. Ripley.” The foundational myth of America is that we are the first nation to consciously create ourselves by severing all ties with the past, yet somehow the past keeps reasserting itself. That’s the last line in Gatsby. The step that “Ripley” takes which is truly radical is that he gets away with it and he succeeds in reinventing himself. In this vision, we really can escape the past, which makes it the most American of novels (even if it’s deluded).
Interesting list. I am unable to access the actual list, because it’s behind a paywall. But I did locate a portion of the list elsewhere.