There are some works that must be included in the classics of literature. This is a list of must-read novels before your certainly untimely departure. To be clear, we’re not trying to be pessimistic; rather, we’re trying to emphasize the importance of experiencing these literary classics for yourself rather than simply hearing about them from others who have read them. The term “American literature” refers to works primarily produced or authored in the English language in the United States and its former colonies.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, 1819
In The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., Washington Irving published a medieval tale titled The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which he wrote and collected with 34 other essays and short stories. Ichabod Crane, the story’s protagonist, is a New Englander who works as a schoolteacher in Sleepy Hollow, a Dutch settlement on the Hudson. He’s particularly taken by the legend of a headless horseman that’s rumored to prowl the neighborhood. In addition to being a mercenary, Crane is attracted to Katrina Van Tassel because she is the daughter of a wealthy farmer and thus stands to inherit a sizable sum. Brom Bones is Crane’s competitor, a local favorite, and a wild horseman who frequently performs tricks on the schoolmaster. Ichabod Crane is riding home from Katrina’s house late one night when he is startled by a headless horseman that looks like a ghost. The ghost pursues him and throws a pumpkin at him, which he initially believes to be a head.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, 1876
Author Mark Twain’s best-known work, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, was published in 1876. Multiple levels of appreciation are possible for this novel, which initially sold slowly for the author. Adults might appreciate the satire, while children can enjoy the adventure story. The town of St. Petersburg is based in Hannibal, Missouri, where Twain grew up as a child. Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn go on a number of adventures in the novel. Although initially a commercial flop, Twain’s best-selling book during his lifetime was this one. Humor, satire, and social commentary are all prominent themes in the book, all of which helped establish Mark Twain as a major figure in American literature. Tom’s deeds, notably his runaway journey with Joe and Huckleberry, build the concept of boyhood. To serve as an example of the mischief and mayhem that characterized boyhood.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925
For decades, F. Scott Fitzgerald has been regarded as one of the best American writers of the twentieth century. However, he died believing that he was a failure and that his efforts had been forgotten. The Great Gatsby’s focus is on Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, the focus of The Great Gatsby, which depicts the narrator, Nick Carraway’s, contacts with the mysterious millionaire. When it was first released, the novel was poorly received and received a lot of negative feedback. However, the work had a spike in popularity during World War II, and sales peaked in 1960 at 50,000 copies per year. The Modern Library named it the best American novel of the twentieth century in 1998. As one of the finest works of English literature, it is a strong contender for the title of “Great American Novel” along with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, 1884
It was initially published in the UK in December 1884 and in the US in February 1885 as Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The novel is one of the first major works of American literature to be written entirely in vernacular English, distinguished by a strong sense of place and local color. Huckleberry “Huck” Finn, a buddy of Tom Sawyer and the narrator of two previous Twain novels, is the narrator of this tale. It is a straight continuation of Tom Sawyer’s adventures. Among the book’s many strengths is its vivid depiction of life along the Mississippi’s banks. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a scathing parody of ingrained attitudes, particularly racism, set in a Southern antebellum culture that had long since vanished by the time the book was published. Since its debut, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn have been a favorite of readers and literary critics alike.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, 1937
Of Mice and Men is a short story collection by John Steinbeck. During the Great Depression, two displaced migrant ranch employees, George Milton and Lennie Small traveled around California in search of new employment possibilities. Despite the fact that it is commonly taught in schools, Of Mice and Men is on the American Library Association’s list of the Most Challenged Books of the 21st Century because of its vulgarity and what some consider obscene and racist language. Despite all the writhing and wriggling, sometimes the circumstances of one’s existence limit their capacity to live the fairy tale lives one aspire to. This is the theme of the Of Mice and Men. The title is, of course, a portion from the poem by Robert Burns, which emphasizes the idea of the futility of human labor or the folly of human wishes.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, 1939
John Steinbeck’s novel “The Grapes of Wrath,” which won the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Nobel Prize, was written during and about the Great Depression, which engulfed America in the early 1930s. The novel follows a family of poor tenant farmers as they are forcibly removed from their Oklahoma home and travel through the Dust Bowl on their route to California. However, as they face starvation, unemployment, and death, all of their hopes for atonement are slowly snuffed out by the passage of time.
Conclusion
There are other great American novels which you can find to read when opportune, like
- • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
- The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
- Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
- Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
- The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
and many others.