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??)