The Great American Novel (sometimes abbreviated as GAN) is a canonical novel that generally embodies and examines the essence and character of America. The term was coined by John William De Forest in an 1868 essay and later shortened to GAN. De Forest noted that the Great American Novel had most likely not been written yet.
Practically, the term refers to a small number of books that have historically been the nexus of discussion, including Moby-Dick (1851), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), and The Great Gatsby (1925). Exactly what novel or novels warrant the title is without consensus and an assortment have been contended as the idea has evolved and continued into the modern age, with fluctuations in popular and critical regard. William Carlos Williams, Clyde Brion Davis and Philip Roth have written novels about the Great American Novel—titled as such—the latter in the 1970s, a time of prosperity for the concept.
The Great American Novel Quiz
Results
#1. Which American Novelist is famous for books The Bluest Eye (1970) and Beloved (1987)?
Unlucky! Toni Morrison is the correct answer
#2. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was the sequel to which book?
Unlucky! It was the 2nd book in the series and the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
#3. One of Edith Wharton's most famous books was..?
Unlucky! The Age of Innocence was the book
#4. Who wrote The Bell Jar, published in 1962?
Unlucky! Sylvia Plath wrote The Bell Jar
#5. Nick Carraway is a prominent character in which famous American Classic?
Unlucky! He was in The Great Gatsby
#6. Which American author was the first to win the Nobel for Literature?
Unlucky! Sinclair Lewis was the first to win it in 1930
#7. To Kill a Mockingbird features Atticus, Jem and Scout from which family?
Unlucky! It was the Finch family
#8. Truman Capote's famous novella is Breakfast at ...?
Unlucky! Breakfast at Tiffany’s
#9. Who wrote The Catcher in the Rye?
Unlucky! It was J.D Salinger
#10. East of Eden by John Steinbeck was mainly set in which state?
Unlucky! The story was set in California
Quizlet’s Recommendations for Great American Books
Head on over to our Stories page where you can read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald for free.
