I've been invited, through the American Booksellers Association, to contribute my thoughts toward an upcoming PBS documentary on the American novel. For now, my participation is only as a survey participant, but it could become more.
I may decline the opportunity, but it does present us with a wonderful opportunity to work collegially to answer the following questions:
What do you think are the five (5) best American novels?
Who do you think are the five (5) best heroes or heroines in American novels?
Who do you think are the five (5) best villains or villainesses in American novels?
What do you think are the best lines in American novels?
Don't feel obligated to answer every question, and don't feel obligated to come up with five in each category. Remember, you can comment below with or without identifying yourself. Next Sunday, I'll report on your comments and e-mails in response.
And remember that we're now on daylight saving time!
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Let's see ...
What do you think are the five (5) best American novels?
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
My Antonia by Willa Cather
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
(I started to consider Brave New World, Mrs. Dalloway, David Copperfield, etc. but unfortunately the novels/authors probably aren't considered "American".)
Who do you think are the five (5) best heroes or heroines in American novels?
The only hero that comes immediately to my mind is really an anti-hero: Holden Caufield from Catch in the Rye. After a little more thought, I've come up with Jo March from Little Women, Tom Joad from the Grapes of Wrath, and Marlow from Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
Who do you think are the five (5) best villains or villainesses in American novels?
Simon Legree from Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Kurtz from Heart of Darkness.
Cathy from East of Eden
I seem to recall the nastiest villains were from Dickens' work -- Miss Haversham, Fagin, Bill Sykes, etc.
That's my two cents.
Mark
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