Posted on 09/07/2001 11:24:11 AM PDT by Xenalyte
motexva - While I loved Cryptonomicon and Stephenson's first biggie Snowcrash, if you're talking about novels with a new idea per page, I highly recommend The Diamond Age. It's very dense, multithreaded, and a difficult read, but absolutely brilliant. Pay attention and even that vague ending does make sense - I'd make that one of the best books I read in the 90's if not THE best. If it didn't take place in China I'd have had it in running here...
How many GANs were there? I can't limit this to only one. It is impossible. But this was a delightful excercize for myself anyway.
Overall though, Samuel Clemens ranks highest I suppose. I personally enjoy his more political works more now. Huck.
To contribute to other consideration if I may, I like to break things down by decades so to speak, reflect on them, and then use such in rhetoric and writing. Of course, that might be the "decade" where I read the book as opposed to that in which it was published. For example:
Jim Harrison's "Legends of the Fall" is my favorite book of the last two decades of the 20th Century. It affected film as well by the making of the movie of the title name and also that of "Revenge" with Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn(Madeleine Stowe as well).
Within this book then, the Novella "Revenge" is my choice. While at the same time, there are author's I read in time proximity along with Harrison: Thomas McGuane for one, McMurtry and Lonesome Dove was important. Elmer Kelton for another. In particular, Kelton wrote Great stories all related to the West(Texas) and he hasn't received the notice of McMurtry for example...undeservedly in my humble opinion. Here are 2 I recommend: The Time it Never Rained, The Good Old Boys. These books along with another 60's favorite comprise the spirit of independence, my sage brush rebellion attitude and longing for the open spaces, mountains and streams I guess: The Brave Cowboy by Edward Abbey and it's two sequels.
If I go back to the 70's and 60's however, my choices change radically to books published well before those decades. In the 70's it was Hemingway. Hard for me to choose which. "For Whom the Bell Tolls", "Islands in the Stream" or Perhaps "To Have and Have Not". In the 60's it was Ayn Rand: "Atlas Shrugged". Mom had me read those when I was 10 or so around 1960--but also in this decade I read thoroughly Lee's Lt.s, "None Dare Call It (Conspiracy or Treason)" I cannot recollect the publication dates--parental political influence). ALSO F-451, 1984 both were of import. Pat Frank's book "Tomorrow" was it? There was another for the 70s, "Love In the Ruins" By Walker Percy?
Huck was the book for me of the 50's. I believe I read the "Cain Mutiny" at this time as well, ie, late 50's. It remains a tremendous work. Or Jack London anything.
In the y2k decade, I certainly haven't read enough to push a button on one. Oddly enough, I have become enamored again with Rand. The Fountainhead is it thus far.
But that is just a way of looking at things. If I just had to pick 1, it would be Huck as being the most influential work in so many ways. For me personally, perhaps now in this decade I will return to Faulkner, and be 14 again so to speak. Here I might pick "A light in August" or "Wild Palms". I suppose I will Let EH go. After all, I just got back from playing McGuane and Hemingway in Key West, fly fishing the flats. It didn't work. I am still me....
Regards to you:
David Bell -- Dai --
"I could just remember how my father used to say that the reason for living was to get ready to stay dead a long time." From William Faulkner's "As I Lay Dying"(Character Addie Bundren).
Or something like, when it is all said and done, you die and they throw dirt in your face(Unknown source).
I'll have to give it some thought.
...and falling asleep due to boredom.
I like much of your definition, but here I would have to disagree. I believe there are certain themes that have always been part of the American experience. Thus novels that speak skillfully to those themes, even with different historical reference points that are less and less meaningful to subsequent generations, are IMHO "Great American Novels."
A GAN to me should be as meaningful and informative to people 100 years from now as it is today.
Yeah, it's not for everyone. The literate, yes, but not everyone.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.