The Dream of the Great American Novel

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

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Book, 16 Books

Writer Lawrence Buell discusses the primary contenders for the title of the "Great American Novel".

This list was originally published in 2014 and was added to this site over 11 years ago.

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Cover of 'Absalom, Absalom!' by William Faulkner
Absalom, Absalom!

William Faulkner

Cover of 'The Adventures of Augie March' by Saul Bellow
The Adventures of Augie March

Saul Bellow

Cover of 'American Pastoral' by Philip Roth
American Pastoral

Philip Roth

Cover of 'An American Tragedy' by Theodore Dreiser
An American Tragedy

Theodore Dreiser

Cover of 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison
Beloved

Toni Morrison

Cover of 'The Custom of the Country' by Edith Wharton
The Custom of the Country

Edith Wharton

Cover of 'The Great Gatsby' by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Cover of 'The Grapes of Wrath' by John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath

John Steinbeck

Cover of 'Gravity's Rainbow' by Thomas Pynchon
Gravity's Rainbow

Thomas Pynchon

Cover of 'Gone With the Wind' by Margaret Mitchell
Gone With the Wind

Margaret Mitchell

Cover of 'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' by Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

Cover of 'Invisible Man' by Ralph Ellison
Invisible Man

Ralph Ellison

Cover of 'Moby-Dick' by Herman Melville
Moby-Dick

Herman Melville

Cover of 'The Scarlet Letter' by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Cover of 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom's Cabin

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Cover of 'U.S.A. Trilogy' by John Dos Passos
U.S.A. Trilogy

John Dos Passos