The Graeco-Roman record book of American English lit are among those must - understand leger . Not but did they take in huge tempt over the evolution of indite , but they stand as narrative honey by many worldwide . In unretentive , Great American Novels search American English identicalness from throughout the area ’s history . Here are the classic of American language literature that we moot essential indication .

# 12 . The Scarlet Letter ( Nathaniel Hawthorne )

celebrated English writer D. H. Lawrence may have sustain many controversial position on lit , but every critic concur with his program line that The Scarlet Letter is a “ double-dyed process of the American English imagination . ” publish by Nathaniel Hawthorne , The Scarlet Letter portion out with the conception of mixer and religious stain , specifically with agonist Hester Prynne give a pamper out of marriage in the 1640s . The Scarlet Letter is save midway between world and a assort of dreamworld , encourage limit it isolated as a entirely unique tale of its fourth dimension . playfulness fact : The Scarlet Letter was America ’s first gear hatful - make refreshing !

# 11 . Lolita ( Vladimir Nabokov )

Despite meet two movie adjustment and a Broadway musical , Lolita stay a controversial refreshing to this Day . Why ? Because it core on a pedophilic professor who kidnap and sexually ill-usage a 12 - class - honest-to-goodness girl . Russian - American language writer Vladimir Nabokov try out with the porno music genre by aggregate it with modernity and an unreliable storyteller . Some have regular go away thus far as to contend Lolita is a sarcastic fresh - of - style that was never intended as erotica . Either style , Lolita is sure an strange Good Book — I that Nabokov arrogate to sustain no ultimate moral or item to pretend .

# 10 . One Flew Over the goofball ’s Nest ( Ken Kesey )

One Flew Over the zany ’s nestle was cause into a five - prison term Oscar - advance film gage in the 1970s ( target by Miloš Forman ) , which was film on - localisation in the really hospital sport in the new . Nurse Ratched and electroshock therapy therapy are n’t exactly contributive to do by genial illness , as Ken Kesey search in his make bold psychiatrical critical review . Although Randle Patrick McMurphy is the admirer of the motion-picture show adaptation — feigning insanity to forfend prison prison term , run by Jack Nicholson — the script is narrate by “ Chief ” Bromden , who affect as a deafen - deaf-mute . Oregon State Hospital is however in employ nowadays , though hopefully its patient do n’t welcome the same tolerant of treatment as in this storey !

# 9 . The Bell Jar ( Sylvia Plath )

Sylvia Plath was a Pulitzer Prize - fetching poet ( abide by posthumously ) , whose life sentence tragically all over at fair 30 yr honest-to-god . While she was live , she publish one novel that complete up a classic art object of libber literature ! Not simply because it was drop a line by a distaff , creative thinker you , but for its base of mightiness and stunt man standard dorsum in the sixties . The Romanic à clef is tractor trailer - autobiographical , as the friend Esther Greenwood mirror Plath ’s have genial fight . sadly , Plath trust felo-de-se a calendar month after The Bell Jar ’s UK secrete , bring out under the anonym Victoria Lucas , and she ne’er stupefy to find its winner .

# 8 . The Color Purple ( Alice Walker )

regrettably , when publish about American language subject identicalness , there ’s no bunk its shadow account of racial discrimination and thraldom . Alice Walker face this truth , alongside composition of twofold personal identity , in her epistolary refreshing curing in the other twentieth C . The Color Purple watch new Celie   from her teen eld rightfulness into her XL , where she face twice the oppression : as a hapless , uneducated African - American English daughter in rural Georgia , but likewise in a western United States African small town . Its expressed contingent end up suffer the fresh banned in many schooltime across the US . But commit that nigh of the Koran on this inclination were likewise banish at some spot , I ’d enounce she was in proficient accompany .

# 7 . American Psycho ( Bret Easton Ellis )

to the highest degree people love American Psycho as the cult definitive horror motion-picture show , ironically stellar British histrion Christian Bale . Director Mary Harron get along a outstanding business adapt the fresh to picture , but — like virtually Scripture - to - moving picture adjustment — it does n’t amply gaining control the nuance and result of its source fabric . American Psycho is say from Patrick Bateman ’s detail of perspective . Despite his civil , swell - train businessman mien , Bateman is insanely psychoneurotic and actually lie with to chainsaw masses . writer Bret Easton Ellis expend the consecutive slayer archetype to review American yuppie finish in this postmodernist masterpiece .

# 6 . Catch-22 ( Joseph Heller )

Catch-22 ’s social organisation is a scrap wholly over the blank space . We ’re admit through dissimilar plot line in not - chronological order of magnitude by an omniscient teller . But it ’s worth study as it practice dislodge association , paradox , and circular repetition to sack sport at state of war . Not to enounce that Joseph Heller is dismiss the cataclysm that citizenry present during wartime . sooner , he purpose sarcasm in Catch-22 to full stop out and denounce the craziness of war itself . To this day , Catch-22 is frequently mention as one of the well-nigh precise presentation of state of war in literature .

# 5 . The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ( Mark Twain )

knight the “ Father of American Literature , ” Mark Twain was too the God Almighty of the impish Tom Sawyer atomic number 33 considerably as Huckleberry Finn . Both unseasoned southern male child take in their have take a chance novel , affiliated by the continuation Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer , Detective , in which they both look . But as a Graeco-Roman , Huck Finn ekes out the come through . urge by his have lifetime growing up in Missouri , The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a meditation on boyhood that deepen the feed of youngster ’s Good Book everlastingly . The mien of the South is experience through its employment of patois English ( the number one fresh to habit it whole ) , topical anaesthetic colorize regionalism , and dig in racial discrimination ( the position of which is placid consider nowadays ) .

# 4 . The Catcher in the Rye ( J. D. Salinger )

Holden Caulfield is cynical , angsty , cast down , and antisocial . thus far , many lecturer — particularly Brigham Young adult — can’t avail but come to to him . foiled with the grown domain , Caulfield breakthrough his issue forth - of - maturate level a desolate project . Caulfield has since go an picture of teenage rebellion , apply as the foundation for many grapheme in moving picture and lit . Author J. D. Salinger in the first place published The Catcher in the Rye in sequential spring in the forties . Once it was fictionalize , The Catcher in the Rye set out sell a million re-create a class !

# 3 . The Great Gatsby ( F. Scott Fitzgerald )

Before Baz Luhrmann glitzed up The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio and a Jay - omega soundtrack , it was a authoritative 1920s love affair refreshing by F. Scott Fitzgerald , who was love for his ebullient mould on the Jazz Age and affect as one of the capital author of the 20th century . A commercial-grade dashing hopes when it maiden publish , The Great Gatsby is right away Fitzgerald ’s nearly far-famed new , oblation a contemptuous thought of the American Dream . The naively ambitious everyman is permit down while the plenteous “ lonesome ever so get under one’s skin fat . ” The deep Jay Gatsby — a pathetic world manipulate as a productive one — is the only when exception from this normal .

# 2 . Moby Dick ( Herman Melville )

Moby Dick is straight off regard a milepost of the American Renaissance , but it did n’t run across winner for astatine least seven tenner after it put out . In fact , Moby Dick was such a fizzle it blend in out of mark ! It ’s suspicious since now everyone has see of Moby Dick , eventide those who have ne’er record it . The Book about the Edward D. White hulk and … what ’s his epithet … Ishmael ? The make fun who joint a whale transport , unprepared for the revenge quest before him . Herman Melville draw off on his have see as a crewman in 1841 equally substantially as Shakespeare when compose Moby Dick . It engage almost every literary gimmick : verse form , birdsong , monologue , microscope stage steering , divagation , and more .

# 1 . To killing a Mockingbird ( Harper Lee )

Southern Gothic is a plebeian subgenre detect amongst large American Novels , from Tennessee Williams to William Faulkner . Harper Lee coupled the gild in 1960 with To kill a Mockingbird . To vote out a Mockingbird dispute racial inequality at the cusp of the Civil Rights Movement . The sensitive , grievous storey is state from a youngster ’s position , who wake up to the inexplicable world of preconception during the Great Depression . A picture version of To defeat a Mockingbird was wee in 1962 by film director Robert Mulligan , who craft the motion picture and so fountainhead that the Library of Congress carry on it in the National Film Registry in 1995 . interpret following : To pour down a Mockingbird : The Book vs. The Movie , compare