| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/7/2009 8:37:26 AM | | Maybe that;s not the right side but I desperately need help with finding the topic for my MA thesis in American literature. The problem is that I have not read much and thus know little of the literature. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/7/2009 3:06:33 PM | | Well, many people consider Mark Twain the definitive american author. I always found his writings stale, trite, and completely irrelevant to the world today. if you are not afraid to go completely mad, H.P. Lovecraft was a master of horror in ways Stephen King can only dream of. His works are simply brilliant in their structure, eloquency, and pacing. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/7/2009 6:32:37 PM | | It bothers me that you are doing an MA thesis in literature, which in this country would mean you already have a BA, and yet haven't read much. Why are you doing an MA? I would suggest you get reading and fast! How about Dorothy Parker? A much underrated writer, her short stories are rich and subtle: why is she underrated, why didn't she write a novel, how does her work relate to the better known writing of her time? She hung out with the big names of her era ... why isn't she one of them? Just a suggestion. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/7/2009 11:56:55 PM | ffrin, the original poster of this thread is polish, so I would not assume her studies specialised in american literature. It should not 'bother you' that this woman is asking for some suggestions. I love Dorothy Parker. I don't think she's underrated. Her name is commonly known among most americans I have spoken with on this topic. More known for her poetry than short stories tho, so perhaps not the best choice.
Short stories subtle? Nothing subtle at all about Dot!
Good luck on the thesis, I agree Mark Twain would have a plethora of writings to discuss. Much wider range than Dorothy Parker, who I amost equate with an oh, what would I call her? Almost tempted to call her journalist.
Of course, my opinion is not expert, by any means
What about Will Rogers?
edited to add that you might try asking this question in the creative writing threads also, as most that write, read!
What time period interests you? What american writers interest you? Modern? What about Kerouacs' wife? I agree, it's great to discuss women but it brings fewer choices. Plathe? Sexton? | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/8/2009 2:36:14 PM | | I think in terms of influence the most important American writer was E A Poe, a seminal influence on the SF,horror and Detective fiction genres, and a fine poet | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/8/2009 2:51:00 PM | Well, it depends on what exactly your thesis is.
American literature can be broken down into eras:
Colonial era; Post-independence; the 'unique' period which included Poe; transcendentalism; anti-transcendentalism (aka dark romanticism: Poe, Melville, and Hawthorne); poetry; realism (Henry James and Twain); the turn-of-the-century authors including Fitzgerald (awesome author), Crane, Wharton, Hemingway, Faulkner; Depression era, most notable author in this era is Steinbeck; post WWII and the current era.
There are great authors and poets in every era, just depends on what you want to focus on. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/8/2009 6:36:34 PM | rad0618
best answer so farIMO
My mother was an Englishteacher, so I am well read by default.
Please do not overlook Willa Cather. Her pioneer literature best describes that segment of out national personality as well as Steinbeck does. But Steinbeck and Hemingway, and Ralph Ellison for true American character, and then also the european exiles were important, and Steinbeck excels here as well. Richard Wright is also among the finest, and George Sands. Sinclair Lewis is often recommended but not a personal favorite of mine. Marjorie Kinan Rawlings is a must as well as Jack London who I consider the finest. Jean Toomer and Harper Lee catch the American South in living color. Mark Twain is a good choice as he captures the lives of Huck & Tom. Becky always got on my nerves, but I adored Aunt Polly. For a bit of urban America, I have already mentioned Ellison, but also Kerouac, and he is an important American not to be overlooked. Also, Robert Frost, though a poet, his work is without equal.
I am sure there are many I've neglected to mention - don't wish to overwhelm our candidate. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/9/2009 11:26:30 AM | | Thanks very much for your suggestions. Just having BA degree in methodology and that's the field of my interest :) I like reading, but don't know much about American literature. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/9/2009 11:33:13 AM | XXth centuruy would be preferred.
I considered Nathanael West. I liked his short novels, but It's quite difficult to write about and maybe a bit boring.
I prefer themes concerned with relations between people or the life of people during the war.
Thanks a lot for jr suggestions :) | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/12/2009 6:58:43 AM | | Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, even modern-day penners like Michael Crichton, Tom Clancy, Stephen King and Phillip K.**** Get reading!!! | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/12/2009 1:52:14 PM | XXth centuruy would be preferred. I considered Nathanael West. I liked his short novels, but It's quite difficult to write about and maybe a bit boring. I prefer themes concerned with relations between people or the life of people during the war.
Hemmingway or Steinbeck. The latter's Grapes of Wrath is situated during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl. The war couldn't resolve the Dust Bowl but I often hear those of the older generation equating more recent economic woes with the depression and insisting the answer to stimulating economies is war. I imagine their personal observations during that time period led them to such beliefs. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/13/2009 8:07:36 AM | If you're doing an MA thesis you need someone a little less obvious than Twain or Steinbeck.
I'd suggest Jim Thompson. Wrote at the same time as Kerouac; took the hardboiled genre of the 30's to a much darker place; the favourite writer of many more successful writers like Stephen King and Elmore Leonard. It's a little tough to find his stuff though. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/15/2009 4:50:39 AM |
How about Dorothy Parker? A much underrated writer, her short stories are rich and subtle: why is she underrated...
Excellent choice. To this day she's still the monarch of the one-liner comeback. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/15/2009 5:36:43 AM |
If you're doing an MA thesis you need someone a little less obvious than Twain or Steinbeck.
I agree with you, halftimedad!
OP, how about concentrating on Southern lit, or Southern women writers? There's a boatload of great Southern women writers! Flannery O'Connor, Katherine Anne Porter, Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers... It might be cool to compare them to present-day Southern women writers. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/17/2009 6:57:32 PM | | William s burroughs. Hunter s Thompson. Hubert Selby Jr. Gore Vidal. Raymond Carver. Philip K**** Ray Bradbury. Bukowski. Robert Crumb. Truman Capote. J.D. Salinger. Tom Wolfe. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/17/2009 7:51:52 PM | yes true halftimedad, but she is not American, the OP, is she? So I do agree, under the circumstances with Scott Fitzgerald added to the Hemingway & Steinbeck list to round out the trio of "Obviousness" for someone not American, particularly.
Add Eudora Welty, and Katherine Anne Porter to this "Ship of Fools."
And, for something more current, none finer than Anne Tyler. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/18/2009 4:22:56 AM |
Robert Crumb
Interesting choice, Fish. So how about Harvey Pekar? He pioneered "slice of life" writing in the comic-book format. Nowadays if you look at the 741 shelves in the library, you'll that it's not all "comics" anymore. Librarians have added terms like "graphic novel," but that's not really adequate. As Pekar said, we're getting more "words with pictures." I believe this is a major break-thru. Until recently, printing text and images on the same page was expensive and a PITA. But now with digital, it's easy. Almost any subject is better with illustrations than without, so I think we'll see more of it. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/20/2009 6:18:56 PM | If i was to write on american litrature it would have to be F Scott Fitzgerald, simply because he indentified universal themes in a specific time. The Beautiful and Damned is a fabulous start, and is haunting in how accurate F Scott's life developed as the narrators does.
Tender is the night is a masterpiece and deals with mental illness is a way that challenged all the mores of the time, not just of the person suffering, but those around them, would be interesting to contrast the realtionship with the real life relationship of ts eliot and his first wife the time difference of 20 years makes this a very interesting counter-point.
Finaly Gatsby, consider this work is parallel to Wolfe's Bonfires of the Vanities, Fitgeralds comment on "they were careless with people's lives" sums up the anti-heros attitude to the death he causes inthe hit and run. Too much money to notice the destruction they reap | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/21/2009 9:11:45 PM | I loved reading all the great authors listed in the many posts. Kerouac is my spiritual brother no doubt.
I would throw Cormac McCarthy in the mix. He is contemporary, has a significant body of work, well respected and well read... | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/24/2009 9:25:40 AM | | F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby, what better to write about in American Literature than the most famous book regarding the American Dream. Or any of his amazing short stories, such as Bernice Bobs Her Hair, or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. | |
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| Anybody interested In American literature
Posted: 11/24/2009 6:03:05 PM | | Some of my favorite American authors who don't fall within the academic canon of literature: James Ellroy, Raymond Chandler, William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Amy Tan, Mark Helprin, Wally Lamb. I'm all about thinking outside the canon. | |
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