My Quest for The Great American Novel?

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Күн бұрын

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@TBaggins96 4 ай бұрын

You should look into "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. It fits right in with some of the material you've mentioned here, and is considered a highly important piece of African American literature.

@SheWasOnlyEvie 4 ай бұрын

I second Their Eyes Were Watching God, or anything by Zora Neale Hurston!

@JosephReadsBooks 3 ай бұрын

This is such a great idea for a reading project. I like Tortilla Flats from Steinbeck. Lonesome Dove is toward the top of my TBR. I need to read it. "Cheeky scallywag humor" is a great way of summing up some of the humor in A Confederacy of Dunces. I'm so glad it made it on your TBR list!

@joshyaks 4 ай бұрын

Lonesome Dove was the most recent book I completed, and it's now an all-time favourite! I really need to prioritize getting to Steinbeck. Mystic River and Small Mercies are also on the TBR. I read As I Lay Dying and The Sound and the Fury, and couldn't stand them.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Haha yeah I've heard Faulkner's style is an acquired taste

@RJGibson7 3 ай бұрын

I read a bit of 11/22/63 a couple of years ago and I liked the way King brought 1950-60s New York to life. Hopefully I can read a couple of these authors as well in the next couple of years, especially Lehane and Steinbeck!

@BookishChas 3 ай бұрын

Great discussion Carlos! I don’t know if there is just one great American novel, but Boys Life by Robert McCammon was one of the greats. I also have a thing for dialects. If there’s clearly a dialect in a particular part of a book, I have to go back and reread the sentences in my attempt at the dialect. 😂😂

@RedFuryBooks 2 ай бұрын

I've unofficially been on this quest for several years as well. I think the biggest challenge is actually defining the criteria of what the "Great American novel" really means. You mentioned several that I would consider on a short list regardless of definition: East of Eden, The Invisible Man (Ellison), To Kill a Mockingbird, Lonesome Dove, and yes, 11/22/63. JFK's assassination is one of our nation's defining moments, and King's take on it is well done, even if many non-American readers often don't connect with it. Good luck with your journey! (Oh, and I'm also not a fan of Gatsby, or much of the Lost Generation either)

@storytoob 2 ай бұрын

Cheers Josh! I'm not sure anyone knows what it really means, but I think some books have certainly come close to capturing an essence of America and its culture/history. Some more critical, some with a balance of love and criticism. Grapes of Wrath and Lonesome Dove are probably my favourites so far! Really looking forward to East of Eden. And yeah I like Stephen King so 11/22/63 is now super high on the list!

@TomOrange 4 ай бұрын

I would say to put All the pretty horses high on the list!

@thefantasythinker 3 ай бұрын

I agree with you about Gatsby, ugh! You might also try On the Road by my local guy, Jack Kerouac. I happen to notice Midnight Tides is missing from your bookshelf :)

@storytoob 3 ай бұрын

Jack Kerouac is a good shout as well.. I should probably add him to the list! Well spotted ;)

@chrisantal2442 4 ай бұрын

I found Beloved to be an absolute masterpiece. I think you'll vibe with her writing style. I'll be reading all her books soon.

@chrisantal2442 4 ай бұрын

Also, speaking of Stephen King, have you ever read "The Body"? I think that might fit the tone of this video.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Amazing! Can't wait for Morrison. And yesss I have read The Body.. it also got me thinking whether IT could be seen as a Great American Novel 🤔 an epic coming of age tale in small town Maine, revisiting those lives in a nostalgic way as adults. Fears at different points in life personified and such...

@ChrisReadsBooks. 4 ай бұрын

At the risk of hyping it too much, Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen has absolutely everything you're looking for, and is by far the best novel about America I've ever read. It's mostly set in Florida, where I'm from, but in the late 1800's/early 1900's. HIGHLY recommend

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Amazing! On the list it goes...

@calebritywriter 4 ай бұрын

I absolutely love Steinbeck. The Grapes of Wrath was a pivotal book in my young reading life. Invisible Man is TOUGH, but worthwhile, and I really enjoy Baldwin's Go Tell It On The Mountain. Another "American Great" that is a favorite of mine is Kurt Vonnegut.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Oh of course, Vonnegut! Hadn't even crossed my mind, but absolutely

@calebritywriter 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob Slaughter-House Five is the obvious starting point, but my personal favorite is Breakfast of Champions. That book shaved years off my life.

@nazimelmardi 4 ай бұрын

Carlos Eastwood, the cowboy, read great American books.😁

@SleepyBookReader-666 3 ай бұрын

It’s funny we have the concept of the great American novel…when we probably only have regional novels.

@storytoob 3 ай бұрын

Which is why I'd probably include The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow in the discussion!

@SheWasOnlyEvie 4 ай бұрын

You went from American mobster to Russian oligarch quick! Haha. Thank you for reminding me about our plans to buddy read Beloved, because I totally forgot. Oops! I'd say Giovanni's Room, though set in France, is a Great American Novel. Baldwin's prose and storytelling is absolutely and utterly incredible.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Hahaha clearly there are similarities between Brooklyn and Russian cadence 🤣 Oh I'm pretty easy on which one you wanna do next!

@Paul_van_Doleweerd 4 ай бұрын

You might want to check out Walter Tevis, he only wrote six novels before his death, but I'll bet most of them could be classified as "American". You've probably already heard of most of them.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Oh cool, I actually have two of his sci-fi books - I've seen The Hustler and Color of Money movies

@Paul_van_Doleweerd 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob We took Mockingbird in grade 9, and I read The Man Who Fell To Earth this year. Pretty gloomy both of them.

@christine_reads 4 ай бұрын

OOH! Love your musings on the great American Novel and would love to suggest you read the Toni Morrison 81 page short story RECITATIF. Do not read the introduction by Zaire Smith first. Now back to finish your video 😂

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Hey there! Thanks! I didn't really arrive at any sort of conclusion but anywho... I'll make more videos on the topic. And cheers for that! Just googled it!

@christine_reads 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob I find the best kinds of videos on these topics don’t really have a conclusion, just another avenue of exploration that opens up. But with or without a conclusion I like the thinking and reading behind it. If you get to Recitatif at some point I hope you’ll share your thoughts.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Oh cheers! I'm the same... I'm an enthusiast, not an academic, but I'm almost certain the argument in academic circles has been going in a conclusionless circle for decades anyway 🤣 I absolutely will check that out and include it whenever I talk about Morrison. Thanks Christine

@someokiedude9549 4 ай бұрын

While you're completely and utterly wrong about The Great Gatsby, you do bring up a good point on what exactly constitutes a 'Great American Novel', it can sometimes be hard to tell. I've found that a 'Great American Novel' is one of those books that really encapsulates what America is as a country and as a concept. The Great Gatsby and Mark Twain's work does that well, at least I think so anyways. Blood Meridian is also a contender as far as I'm concerned, and Steinbeck's a good choice too. Of Mice and Men really ripped me up when I read it, and it's still so so good. I would recommend The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay from Michael Chabon. Not only is it a great novel about America, but it also deals with one of my favorite subjects (and one I know you enjoy as well): comics. Great video Carlos!

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Gatsby is poo - you should read The Grapes of Wrath too!

@thatsci-firogue 3 ай бұрын

Gatsby's a creepy bastard haha

@storytoob 3 ай бұрын

@@thatsci-firogue yep! Bought a gaf to stalk a girl

@thatsci-firogue 3 ай бұрын

@@storytoob he also fell in love with an idea he built up in his head of her, not actually her, as opposed to taking the time to get to know her and dismisses anything that contradicts that ideal mental image he projects on her (from what I remember). Always heard the book described as a romantic tragedy... no... just no.

@jan2bratt 4 ай бұрын

I haven't been able to finish Gatsby. Not crazy about Hemingway. But I love Steinbeck. Currently reading The Heart is a lonely Hunter. That should be right up there with to Kill a Mockingbird. You might consider looking into Wallace Stegner, a great American author, taught a lot of those other great writers from what I've read. I suggest Angle of Repose by Stegner. I suggest you look it up.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Great recommendation I'll look him up now! Cheers Jan!

@jan2bratt 3 ай бұрын

@@storytoob I need to put him on my re-read pile. Have put Small Mercies on my library borrow list. I loved Mystic River.

@dlasis 4 ай бұрын

I really loved Of Mice and Men. Blood Meridian was the book I dreaded while I was reading it but it got me thinking for days.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Should try The Grapes of Wrath!

@dlasis 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob I remember reading Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily and As I Lay Dying back in high school. Should be fun to revisit as a big boy.

@Paul_van_Doleweerd 4 ай бұрын

America has only been a country for a short time, globally speaking, so the "great american novel" is kind of an extension of what the world's first adolescent society needs to define itself. So the question is how many parts need to be american? The author? The setting? The overall theme? Are there footballs, trucks and beer?

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Indeed! Hand-Football! Handegg.

@Paul_van_Doleweerd 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob Hah, the great american novel is to literature as country & western is to music. 🏈🍺🧢

@sw3dge 4 ай бұрын

🦅🦅🦅

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Yeehaw

@EricMcLuen 4 ай бұрын

After 90 minutes Red Fury's panel couldn't decide what classic fantasy is. Not going to try modern fantasy. American novel might be more manageable.

@thatsci-firogue 4 ай бұрын

Only American Classic I remember doing in Secondary school was To Kill A Mockingbird. I did read Great Gatsby as an adult, and I didn't really like it either. I did like the local theatre version a friend of mine was in years back. I loved Lonesome Dove. Blood Meridian is a book I respect more than I actually like, something about it just doesn't click with me. Though, certain aspects of it were hyped for me that ultimately I wasn't impressed by. I was surprised I loved Butcher's Crossing and Stoner as much as I did, especially Stoner. Sounded like the most boring shite imaginable (I think Booktube generally didn't do the best sales pitch) but I was hooked from the first chapter. I don't think you'd like Butcher's Crossing but I find you hard to predict (no offence), as for Stoner I can see you going either way.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Haha I'm not too hard to predict, I'd read pretty much anything if it's well written 🤣 which I'm learning, might be unconventional haha

@thatsci-firogue 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob off topic but speaking of well-written, have you tried any Guy Gavriel Kay? He's my current favourite Fantasy author (he writes mostly standalones) and I adore his writing.

@storytoob 4 ай бұрын

Not yet, but Lions of Al-Rassan is top of the list given the Spanish inspiration!

@thatsci-firogue 4 ай бұрын

@@storytoob Deadly, that was going to be my recommendation if you weren't sure. It's my second favourite Kay I've read and still a strong contender for my favourite book of all-time.