20th Century American Literature

WindSock

What do you recommend? I wish to start reading some soon and would appreciate a 'must read' list. Perhaps I'll start with Moby Dick...

John

Moby Dick is great but it's hardly 20th Century. I suppose the ones to go for from the US in the 20th Century would be:
Joseph Heller Catch-22
Sylvia Plath The Bell Jar
John Steinbeck Of Mice and Men
William S. Burroughs Naked Lunch
Hunter S. Thompson Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Ernest Hemmingway For Whom the Bell Tolls

DublinWriter

On the Road - Jack Kerouak
Slaughterhouse 5 - Kurt Vonegut
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Valmont

DublinWriter wrote:

On the Road - Jack Kerouak

I second that:D brilliant

Crucifix

John Steinback would be my biggest suggestion. East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and Grapes of Wrath are all good.
Also Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger.

dr.bollocko

The Belljar by sylvia Plath would be an essential for me. Also obviously On The Road, just one of the best books ever written. Catcher, obviously, to start with. Also Hemingway is an excellent start point.
Oh and Tom Robbins, Skinny legs and all, and Only cowgirls get the blues. Just fantastic author.
Irving anyone? I know its not quite the meaty read that some of the others mentioned above and it is more modern but still.

odonnell

id third Kerouac - pretty profound for a man who spent most of his adult life in his bedroom, with his mother screening his calls and mail.

other authors to read of the genre - Anything by Bill Burroughs, Tom Wolfe, Ginsberg (more for the poetry minded) and ALL you can get your hands on by Hunter S - not just Fear and Loathing. Far more can be gained from reading his other books as well as FAL such as Rum Diary etc...

theCzar

Hemingway and Steinbeck are the two that jumped to my mind straight away, the others are great but one book wonders!

F.Scott Fitzgerald as well.

WindSock

John wrote:

Moby Dick is great but it's hardly 20th Century. [/I]

OOoops:o Perhaps I should have rephrased that to 19th/20th.

I read 'On the road, but I didn't enjoy it much. Same goes for catcher in the rye. Perhaps I wasnt in the right frame of mind for it. I dont think the whole beat thing is suited for me.

dr.bollocko

Dang. Try Tom Robbins maybe? Another beat / post-beat writer who writes some fascinating fiction. Skinny legs and all is packed densely with eastern philosophy, sculpture, sex, and anthropomorphic spoons.

lsedov

Yeah, any of the Beat writers oughta be considered mandatory reading for American 20th century literature.

Also, check out some of the post-modernist American writing from then; Don DeLillo, Paul Auster, and, of course, the incomparable Thomas Pynchon.

Finally, you haven't really read about the States in the 20th century if you haven't read J.D. Salinger (don't stop with just The Catcher in the Rye -- his short stories are masterpieces, too) and, of course, the one year younger Charles Bukowski (try Ham on Rye or the short story collection Erections, ejaculations, exhibitions and general tales of ordinary madness).

My two cents...

lsedov

Yeah, any of the Beat writers oughta be considered mandatory reading for American 20th century literature.

Although they're still active, and in that sense also portrayers of the 21st century, their post-modern tradition is firmly 20th century; hence, I have to include Don DeLillo, Paul Auster, and, of course, the incomparable Thomas Pynchon.

Finally, you haven't really read about the States in the 20th century if you haven't read J.D. Salinger (don't settle with just The Catcher in the Rye -- his short stories are masterpieces, too) and, of course, the one year younger Charles Bukowski (try Ham on Rye or the short story collection Erections, ejaculations, exhibitions and general tales of ordinary madness).

My two cents...

odonnell

hehe thats 4 cents

simu

Don de Lillo rocks! I really enjoyed his White Noise.

lsedov

simu wrote:

Don de Lillo rocks! I really enjoyed his White Noise.

Yeah, I used to be a DeLillo fan, too, and kind of still am, I guess. But to anyone who appreciates the writing of DeLillo and his likes and adepts (like Cormac McCarthy, Paul Auster, also Annie Proulx and David Guterson), I'd really, really recommend a book that's probably the wittiest, sharpest and progressively culture conservative piece of literary criticism I've read recently (or ever) -- hell, let's just say it's a fun read: A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose by B.R. Myers.

Myers takes a close look at the works of DeLillo and Auster et al., and slags them off when their "literary bestsellet" fiction gets a bit to showy and, well, literary -- where the story takes a beating. It's a pleasure to see this pretty unknown professor take on the literary giants of the day with such gusto; we're talking elephant-in-the-room material.

Well, 'nuff rambling -- it's a fun and great read that will change the way you regard DeLillo (and the others). You can read parts of it at The Atlantic, and over at always reliable complete review: They've a normal review, and an essay on the debate surrounding it.

Ah, come to think of it -- if anyone's interested (and in Dublin), I can probably lend you my copy.

yodellingbren

Raymond Carver - Where I' Calling From
John Cheever's short stories (there's a huge "Collected Short Stories" available)
Ken Kesey "Sometimes a Great Notion" (although this can be hard to find; "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is also good))
Faulkner is fantastic, but can be difficult, "The Sound & The Fury" and "As I Lay Dying" are great.
James Ellroy is great, very easy to read and writes really gripping books (LA Confidential is well known, but there are loads of others, including The Black Dahlia)
Ralph Ellison is also great "Invisible Man" is brilliant.

... I'm in work, so will come back to edit if I think of more...

Esmereldina

All the books I can think of to recommend seem to have been mentioned already , but since everyone else seems to be repeating recommendations, I thoight I'd put by 2 cents in too:D

I really liked On the Road, but I agree it is a fairly particular style and a teeny bit difficult to read sometimes. If you are looking for some slightly more conventional fiction, then you can't go wrong really with Hemingway, Auster, Irving (esp. A Prayer for Owen Meany)Scott Fitzgerald... Though I would also have said that about Catcher in the Rye and the OP didn't seem to be a fan of that
I really like Annie Proulx too, as she shows a completely different side to america than you would hear about in most novels. However, you will not want to read her books if you are even mildly depressed already, as you face will look like this anyway by the time you have finished one...

I also though it was interesting that mosts people's lists were full of older classics (mine included) and short on more contemporary ones. There are more contemporary writers like Roth and Updike that I always mean to read and never get around to though. Is the fact that most people seem to recommend older books a reflection on our tastes or on contemporary American fiction though? Just a thought

Esmereldina

Esmereldina wrote:

All the books I can think of to recommend seem to have been mentioned already , but since everyone else seems to be repeating recommendations, I thoight I'd put by 2 cents in too:D

I really liked On the Road, but I agree it is a fairly particular style and a teeny bit difficult to read sometimes. If you are looking for some slightly more conventional fiction, then you can't go wrong really with Hemingway, Auster, Irving (esp. A Prayer for Owen Meany)Scott Fitzgerald... Though I would also have said that about Catcher in the Rye and the OP didn't seem to be a fan of that
I really like Annie Proulx too, as she shows a completely different side to america than you would hear about in most novels. However, you will not want to read her books if you are even mildly depressed already, as you face will look like this anyway by the time you have finished one...

I also though it was interesting that mosts people's lists were full of older classics (mine included) and short on more contemporary ones. There are more contemporary writers like Roth and Updike that I always mean to read and never get around to though. Is the fact that most people seem to recommend older books a reflection on our tastes or on contemporary American fiction though? Just a thought

Um, I just noticed De Lillo and Pychon on the list when I was scrolling through it again, so you might want to ignore my last comment

Talliesin

dr.bollocko wrote:

The Belljar by sylvia Plath would be an essential for me. Also obviously On The Road

I think those are both books best-read in ones teens, particularly On The Road which is deeply flawed, and the flaws are much more apparent and less overshadowed by the sparkling bits when you're older.

dr.bollocko wrote:

Oh and Tom Robbins, Skinny legs and all, and Only cowgirls get the blues. Just fantastic author.

Agreed. Haven't read those two titles, but have read other works by him, and what I have read of him has put everything else he's written on my must-read list.

eclectichoney

richard yates
don delillo
richard ford
paul auster
ray carver
(anything by any of them!)

WindSock

Great response cheers, I'll certainly be busy with books for a while...

lsedov

Esmereldina wrote:

I also though it was interesting that mosts people's lists were full of older classics (mine included) and short on more contemporary ones. There are more contemporary writers like Roth and Updike that I always mean to read and never get around to though. Is the fact that most people seem to recommend older books a reflection on our tastes or on contemporary American fiction though? Just a thought

I think the lack of contemporary literature can be explained with that the person who started the thread requested 20th century books. But, on the other hand, the 1990s were the 20th century too -- I guess it takes a while to discern real class or quality.

And hey, you have your chance with Roth now! ;-)

Esmereldina

lsedov wrote:

I think the lack of contemporary literature can be explained with that the person who started the thread requested 20th century books. But, on the other hand, the 1990s were the 20th century too -- I guess it takes a while to discern real class or quality.

And hey, you have your chance with Roth now! ;-)

Yeah, I still tend to think in terms of 20th century being now... how old fashioned of me, I mean that century ended 7 years ago
And yep, I'm looking forward to reading the Roth, must see if I can get a copy this weekend...

simu

I'll have to take more of a look at those links and maybe even that book. Nothing like a good juicy controversy. Although, tbh, I read White Noise mostly for enjoyment and I did enjoy it so I was happy!

lsedov wrote:

Yeah, I used to be a DeLillo fan, too, and kind of still am, I guess. But to anyone who appreciates the writing of DeLillo and his likes and adepts (like Cormac McCarthy, Paul Auster, also Annie Proulx and David Guterson), I'd really, really recommend a book that's probably the wittiest, sharpest and progressively culture conservative piece of literary criticism I've read recently (or ever) -- hell, let's just say it's a fun read: A Reader's Manifesto: An Attack on the Growing Pretentiousness in American Literary Prose by B.R. Myers.

Myers takes a close look at the works of DeLillo and Auster et al., and slags them off when their "literary bestsellet" fiction gets a bit to showy and, well, literary -- where the story takes a beating. It's a pleasure to see this pretty unknown professor take on the literary giants of the day with such gusto; we're talking elephant-in-the-room material.

Well, 'nuff rambling -- it's a fun and great read that will change the way you regard DeLillo (and the others). You can read parts of it at The Atlantic, and over at always reliable complete review: They've a normal review, and an essay on the debate surrounding it.

Ah, come to think of it -- if anyone's interested (and in Dublin), I can probably lend you my copy.

metrovelvet

Richard Wright - Native Son
Cormac McCarthy - Blood Meridian
Harper Lee
Thomas Pynchon

simu

Hey, has anyone read any of the Rabbit books by John Updike? I've heard a few people raving about them... Any good?

impr0v

Add An American Dream by Norman Mailer to the list, and something by Philip Roth too.

tSubh Dearg

If you try Tom Robbins I think his best book to start with is Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates.

However, I enjoyed all his books and I very much liked his collection of short stories Wild Ducks Flying Backwards.

eclectichoney

I read the first rabbit book, rabbit run, it was good, but not exceptional enough to make me reas the rest!

lsedov

I've read the first Rabbit book as well -- pretty good, but to me, Updike was far too... apathetic to Rabbit's blatant sexism and, I dunno, degeneration. He just didn't seem to care for his supposed protagonist, and so, neither did I.

Anton17

Theres very little here Pre-WWII. The Age of Innocnece by Edith Wharton and The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerlald are absolute musts.
(Can't believe no one had mentioned anything by Fitzgerald??)

theCzar

Anton17 wrote:

(Can't believe no one had mentioned anything by Fitzgerald??)

theCzar wrote:

Hemingway and Steinbeck are the two that jumped to my mind straight away, the others are great but one book wonders!

F.Scott Fitzgerald as well

And I can't believe you didn't read the thread more carefully

luckat

Cormac McCarthy's Borders trilogy - a downer, but a beautiful downer. Plus - coming into the 21st century - his terrifying post-apocalyptic dystopian The Road, about a father and son travelling through a destroyed America after a devastating war that has, effectively, ended all life on earth.

Harper Lee's political masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird has to be central to the canon: the story of a gentle country lawyer in a racist town given the hopeless case of defending a black man accused of rape; a story told through the coming-of-age-novel filter of an inner story, the maturation of his daughter Scout.

Steinbeck, of course - Of Mice and Men, about migrant workers in California; The Grapes of Wrath, about the migration from Oklahoma during the Depression, after the ecological disaster caused by overfarming of the American plains; Cannery Row, a collection of vignettes about fishing people in California, loosely held together by a plot about a young marine biologist.

Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse-Five, a sci-fi story based on the author's own experiences as a prisoner during the firebombing of Dresden.

William Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury is typical of his gorgeous, lush, treacly, complex writing. Narrated successively by three brothers and a third-person narrator, it's a family story of the Deep South, full of nasty business.

Alice Walker - The Color Purple is a nasty little novel that ends up redemptive, about a child sold into marriage in 1920s America, who becomes a slave to her husband, and is redeemed by the love of the woman he loves. Kind of soapy, but the writing's brilliant.

Marilyn French - The Women's Room is about a bunch of friends who meet at Harvard and stay friends; they range from the one who won't have anything to do with men because basically all men are rapists to the one who is driven to suicide by her bullying husband. Cheery stuff. No, actually, it's really funny, and the writing is gritty and hard.

Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls is about the Spanish Civil War, told in Hemingway's much-satirised manly style with short sentences and no adjectives. Typical heroic death-worshipping male chest-beating. Good fun.

F Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby is the ultimate story of unrequited love. Gatsby is a guy who fell in love with an ambitious girl who had ideas far above his station. Their paths diverged during the war and he became a kind of Sergeant Bilko, developing 'gonnections' with the Mob and making his fortune. Now, remade in what he hopes is the image of her desired man, he has bought a house across the lake from her and her husband, and sets out to win her back. But they and their set are rotten to the core, while the seedy Gatsby is revealed as the true chevalier sans peur et sans reproche. One of my favourite books of all time; a tragedy, delicately and subtly written, with a great narrator and great characters.

Zaph

I know he's Canadian rather than American, but if you're looking for something more recent than many of those already suggested, may I suggest you add Douglas Coupland to your list.

lsedov

zaph wrote:

I know he's Canadian rather than American, but if you're looking for something more recent than many of those already suggested, may I suggest you add Douglas Coupland to your list.

Yeah, Coupland definately calls for an honorary mentioning, considering he mainly depicts contemporary USA -- or we could just make it North American literature. But I feel he's lost it a bit with JPod, dwarfed especially by the vanguard masterpiece that is Microslaves.

johnnyskeleton

The world according to Garp - John Irvine - great and disturbingly funny book about the life of a semi-successful author and his crazy feminist icon mother.

Travells with Charlie - John Steinbeck - a short snappy book from one of the greatest American authors about him travelling coast to coast with his dog, charlie.

The Long Goodbye - Raymond Chandler - a philip marlowe detective book

Short stories of Philip K Dick - mentally ill sci fi writer who cocked a snook at the McCarthy witchhunts.

Paul Auster can be good; I initially tought that his books had a meaning behind them, but after reading most of them I found them a bit vacuous.

Shutuplaura

I'm surprised no one mentioned Gore Vidal. Julian and Lincoln are too of my favourites.
I also think some prety interesting stuff came out of WWII, Norman Mailers The Naked and the Dead and Jim Jones From Here to Eternity. The experiences of these guys gave them some pretty interesting world views which is partly what these books are about (besides whoring and killing japs) Not sure if its a recommendation but quite a few of the monologues the the Thin Red Line film by Terreence Mallick, as well as some of the plot elements were actually from From here to Eternity which is the first book in the series.

Someone already mentioned The Great Gatsby but I'll have to recommend it too, an amazing book. And of course Fear and Loathing in LV. Makes you want to go on a bender which is probably the best recommendation anyone can give.

Tchocky

Philip Roth, Chick Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, Gore Vidal

buck65

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole is wickedly funny
Sportswriter - Richard Ford
Where I'm Calling From - Raymond Carver
Ham on Rye - Charles Bukowski
Underworld - Don de Lillo
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
The Great Gatsby of course

eclectichoney

buck65 wrote:

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole is wickedly funny
Sportswriter - Richard Ford
Where I'm Calling From - Raymond Carver
Ham on Rye - Charles Bukowski
Underworld - Don de Lillo
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote
The Great Gatsby of course

oh my, we clearly need to get married; the sportswriter, mr carver, de lillo, gatsby and bukowski - all perfect choices

brianthebard

dr.bollocko wrote:

Dang. Try Tom Robbins maybe? Another beat / post-beat writer who writes some fascinating fiction. Skinny legs and all is packed densely with eastern philosophy, sculpture, sex, and anthropomorphic spoons.

tom robbins is fantastic. As is hemmingway. Was not impressed with catcher at all, can't express how lowly I consider it! Stay away from Palahnick as well, Diary is pretty good until the end and then it all unravels, he cannot end a novel to save his life.

dr.bollocko

But... U dont like Catcher? Catcher in the rye? The Catcher in the Rye?
Im so shocked Im holdin my caulfields here.
Whoops.

brianthebard

I have no idea why people like catcher in the rye. Upon reading it I was left even more confused. Its just pointless. Thank god its short.

edit: you should burn in hell for that pun!!!

Anton17

Just curious, how old were you when you read thecatcher in the rye? I read it at about 14, and have always loved iton every re-read. People who read it after they reach some level of maturity (their 20's anyway) seem not to dig it so much...
It's strange though because a lot of other stuff I read at that age, I would have no time for now, such as Tolkien.

brianthebard

*adds up* I think between 16 and 18, definitely still a teenager anyways. I'm not sure about what you're saying about age, you reckon its a kids book, or that once you reach a certain level of maturity it won't appeal to you? That's an odd review of a piece of literature.

dr.bollocko

Nah its not that. Its an incerdibly intelligent and well written book. But the book is about adolescence, attaining adulthood, dealing with limited options. Themes that appeal to teens or those not sure where their place in life is. Hence it is an important book to read at that age.
The catcher is a great book to read as you are struggling to understand adulthood. Partic if you are having a hard time of it as a teenager, it eloquently explains teen apathy in a deeply personal way. The book works best on unwritten levels, and the uniquely simple colloquial nature of the writing allows a younger person to personally identify with Holden, but still allows him to express a full array of emotions, despite the simplification in writing style.

I really cant believe that anyone wouldnt like that book....

Anton17

I didn't say anything about it being a kids book. I just feel that it can make a greater impression on someone who is still developing. The majoity of people I know who have read and loved the novel originally read it in their teens. You do appear buck this trend somewhat though...

Alsatian_Cousin

The adventures of augie march by saul bellow is a great read.
"This is the great american novel - search no further"-Martin Amis

Whim

I know what you mean about Catcher being more youth orientated. I've yet to meet a teen who hasn't loved it yet many adults who just get it. And the only adults who do get it read it in their teens. Same for A Clockwork Orange. But that's English so it's a bit off topic.. On a sidenote to Salinger, I read Franny and Zooey ages ago. It's definately worth reading but not a pinacle of 20th century literatute.

Someone earlier said The World According To Garp was by John Irvine. Hate to be picky but it was John Irving. And that's a fantastic book. If you want a really good book by him though try The Hotel New Hampshire. It's my favourite book in American literature, any century.

brianthebard

Anton17 wrote:

I didn't say anything about it being a kids book. I just feel that it can make a greater impression on someone who is still developing. The majoity of people I know who have read and loved the novel originally read it in their teens. You do appear buck this trend somewhat though...

Perhaps I came to the novel thinking whats all the fuss about then? And ended up underwhelmed. But I often approach a novel like that, imo it gives it more credibility (on a personal level) if I can go to it not thinking I'll like it or not treating it as a "sacred text" as can often happen with novels that have made a huge impact on many people. Ulysses is a case in point, I started reading it this semester with the express purpose of beating down on it in my essay but the sheer brilliance of it won me over. I didn't like Portrait of an artist but I may return to it after this. I can't see myself doing that with Catcher though.

BossArky

Catcher in the Rye is classic stuff. Caulfield got into my head - can still feel him up there, damn rabbit at the controls :mad:

Must have read it when I was about 19 or 20.