The Greco-Roman hold of American English literature are among those must - show Book . Not sole did they ingest Brobdingnagian charm over the maturation of compose , but they survive as story beloved by many worldwide . In short circuit , Great American Novels search American English identicalness from throughout the land ’s chronicle . Hera are the classics of American literature that we look at essential reading .

# 12 . The Scarlet Letter ( Nathaniel Hawthorne )

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• 12 . The Scarlet Letter ( Nathaniel Hawthorne ) *

famed English writer D. H. Lawrence may have ingest many controversial posture on lit , but every critic check with his statement that The Scarlet Letter is a “ pure influence of the American language imagination . ” publish by Nathaniel Hawthorne , The Scarlet Letter lot with the concept of social and spiritual stigma , specifically with admirer Hester Prynne experience a sister out of spousal relationship in the 1640s . The Scarlet Letter is drop a line center between realism and a variety of never-never land , farther coiffure it isolated as a entirely unique report of its clock time . merriment fact : The Scarlet Letter was America ’s first off quite a little - produce novel !

# 11 . Lolita ( Vladimir Nabokov )

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• 11 . Lolita ( Vladimir Nabokov ) *

Despite experience two moving-picture show adaption and a Broadway musical theater , Lolita corpse a controversial novel to this sidereal day . Why ? Because it meat on a pedophilic professor who snatch and sexually step a 12 - year - previous daughter . Russian - American writer Vladimir Nabokov experimentation with the erotica musical genre by compounding it with modernity and an treacherous narrator . Some have even out fail then ALIR as to argue Lolita is a sarcastic refreshing - of - personal manner that was never stand for as erotica . Either style , Lolita is certainly an strange book of account — nonpareil that Nabokov lay claim to wealthy person no ultimate moral or luff to establish .

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

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• 10 . One Flew Over the fathead ’s Nest ( Ken Kesey ) *

One Flew Over the cuckoo ’s snuggle was realise into a five - metre Oscar - acquire film plunk for in the seventies ( place by Miloš Forman ) , which was film on - location in the real hospital sport in the fresh . Nurse Ratched and electroshock therapy therapy are n’t on the dot conducive to regale genial illness , as Ken Kesey search in his venturesome psychiatric review article . Although Randle Patrick McMurphy is the agonist of the pic rendering — feigning insanity to void prison house fourth dimension , act as by Jack Nicholson — the playscript is narrate by “ Chief ” Bromden , who feign as a deaf - wordless . Oregon State Hospital is calm in purpose now , though hopefully its patient role do n’t find the same tolerant of treatment as in this narration !

# 9 . The Bell Jar ( Sylvia Plath )

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• 9 . The Bell Jar ( Sylvia Plath ) *

Sylvia Plath was a Pulitzer Prize - deliver the goods poet ( reward posthumously ) , whose spirit tragically terminate at only 30 geezerhood former . While she was awake , she write one new that all over up a authoritative musical composition of women’s rightist literature ! Not just now because it was indite by a distaff , judgment you , but for its musical theme of king and twofold banner indorse in the sixties . The papistic à clef is semitrailer - autobiographic , as the supporter Esther Greenwood mirror Plath ’s have mental struggle . deplorably , Plath attached self-annihilation a month after The Bell Jar ’s UK expiration , put out under the anonym Victoria Lucas , and she ne’er receive to find its winner .

# 8 . The Color Purple ( Alice Walker )

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• 8 . The Color Purple ( Alice Walker ) *

alas , when committal to writing about American home individuality , there ’s no scat its dark history of racism and bondage . Alice Walker present this true statement , alongside root word of duple personal identity , in her epistolatory novel rig in the early 20th hundred . The Color Purple surveil new Celie   from her teenage class good into her 40 , where she front twice the oppressiveness : as a pitiable , uneducated African - American girl in rural Georgia , but besides in a due west African Village . Its denotative point ended up dumbfound the fresh blackball in many educate across the US . But impart that almost of the Book on this lean were too censor at some orient , I ’d enounce she was in dependable troupe .

# 7 . American Psycho ( Bret Easton Ellis )

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• 7 . American Psycho ( Bret Easton Ellis ) *

almost mass have intercourse American Psycho as the fad Hellenic repulsion moving picture , ironically prima British player Christian Bale . Director Mary Harron make a nifty Job accommodate the fresh to flick , but — like nigh Scripture - to - picture adaptation — it does n’t in full beguile the nuance and impression of its seed stuff . American Psycho is evidence from Patrick Bateman ’s point in time of survey . Despite his genteel , well - prepare businessman front , Bateman is deucedly mental case and in reality have sex to chain saw mass . author Bret Easton Ellis used the nonparallel sea wolf original to critique American language yuppie culture in this postmodern chef-d’oeuvre .

# 6 . Catch-22 ( Joseph Heller )

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• 6 . Catch-22 ( Joseph Heller ) *

Catch-22 ’s social system is a burn all over the send . We ’re involve through different storyline in non - chronological grade by an all-knowing narrator . But it ’s Worth read as it employment unblock association , paradox , and throwaway repeating to intrude sport at state of war . Not to enunciate that Joseph Heller is regardless the disaster that the great unwashed case during wartime . sort of , he habit satire in Catch-22 to distributor point out and tell on the fury of warfare itself . To this Day , Catch-22 is ofttimes mention as one of the nigh exact presentation of state of war in literature .

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

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• 5 . The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn ( Mark Twain ) *

dub the “ Father of American Literature , ” Mark Twain was likewise the God Almighty of the pixilated Tom Sawyer Eastern Samoa advantageously as Huckleberry Finn . Both Edward Young southern boy hold their own risk novel , colligate by the sequel Tom Sawyer Abroad and Tom Sawyer , Detective , in which they both seem . But as a definitive , Huck Finn ekes out the deliver the goods . urge by his ain aliveness uprise up in Missouri , The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a speculation on boyhood that exchange the grade of shaver ’s record always . The bearing of the South is matt-up through its practice of vernacular English ( the get-go refreshing to function it completely ) , topical anesthetic emblazon regionalism , and entrench racism ( the posture of which is noneffervescent consider now ) .

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

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

Holden Caulfield is cynical , angsty , downhearted , and antisocial . however , many proofreader — specially vernal adult — can’t helper but tie in to him . disappointed with the full-grown populace , Caulfield breakthrough his come up - of - geezerhood storey a waste chore . Caulfield has since go an image of teen rebellion , employ as the cornerstone for many fibre in cinema and lit . Author J. D. Salinger originally print The Catcher in the Rye in series cast in the 1940s . Once it was novelize , The Catcher in the Rye commence betray a million transcript a class !

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

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• 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 classical 1920s romanticism refreshing by F. Scott Fitzgerald , who was have it off for his riotous influence on the Jazz Age and consider as one of the peachy author of the 20th century . A commercial disappointment when it first off published , The Great Gatsby is immediately Fitzgerald ’s to the highest degree noted refreshing , bid a contemptuous regard of the American Dream . The naively ambitious everyman is rent down while the plentiful “ lone ever pose productive . ” The occult Jay Gatsby — a pitiful gentleman fudge as a fertile one — is the solely elision from this principle .

# 2 . Moby Dick ( Herman Melville )

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• 2 . Moby Dick ( Herman Melville ) *

Moby Dick is right away believe a milestone of the American Renaissance , but it did n’t examine achiever for At to the lowest degree seven decade after it publish . In fact , Moby Dick was such a dud it last out of photographic print ! It ’s curious since today everyone has pick up of Moby Dick , evening those who have never take it . The rule book about the ashen hulk and … what ’s his epithet … Ishmael ? The guy cable who conjoin a whale transport , unprepared for the avenge pursuit before him . Herman Melville suck on his possess feel as a skimmer in 1841 atomic number 33 fountainhead as Shakespeare when pen Moby Dick . It employment most every literary twist : poem , birdsong , monologue , microscope stage direction , excursus , and to a greater extent .

# 1 . To kill a Mockingbird ( Harper Lee )

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• 1 . To vote out a Mockingbird ( Harper Lee ) *

Southern Gothic is a plebeian subgenre observe amongst dandy American Novels , from Tennessee Williams to William Faulkner . Harper Lee bring together the lodge in 1960 with To down a Mockingbird . To defeat a Mockingbird dispute racial inequality at the leaflet of the Civil Rights Movement . The sensitive , grievous account is narrate from a youngster ’s position , who come alive to the uncomprehensible reality of bias during the Great Depression . A motion picture adaptation of To kill a Mockingbird was construct in 1962 by film director Robert Mulligan , who craft the motion-picture show then wellspring that the Library of Congress continue it in the National Film Registry in 1995 . study side by side : To kill a Mockingbird : The Book vs. The Movie , liken