the myth of "the great american novel"

For example, a book like Demon Copperhead by Barbara King Solver is so brilliant. It's such a great character description and a portrait of a person, but it is very closely tied to Appalachia and that region.

I think that my personal contribution to this discourse is East of Eden by John Steinbeck. To me, that is the closest we have to the great American novel. I truly think it's one of the best books ever written in general, and I recommend it so thoroughly.

I think that's why the book has had such continued success and relevance and pertinence because it continues to act as a kind of prophecy.

If that man is the father of the English novel, I wish he had pulled out because Maul Flanders nearly made me drop out of my literature degree in week one. We have personal beef.

Robinson Cruso pretty good though.

Moren Corrian wrote this amazing book called So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby came to be and why it endures. This book reveals that actually The Great Gatsby takes all of the criteria, including the final one.

I also just read The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vong, and I think maybe that's a contender, too. It's a story of community and struggle and plight and the things we can do for one another, but also it doesn't promise any of its characters a happy ending.

Gatsby explores the pursuit and ultimate failure of the American dream. And what the American dream really embodies and means is that there is a game that everyone in America plays, but nobody wins. And I think that Gatsby embodies that.

If you're looking for brilliant Native American writing, I would highly recommend the work of Tommy Orange. They're there and Wandering Stars are absolutely exquisite and I highly, highly recommend.

They're there and Wandering Stars are absolutely exquisite and I highly, highly recommend.