The American Novel

Listed below are the four authors we study in my elective class "The American Novel," a course that focuses on these significant 20th century writers. For each writer, I have added websites and resources that should enhance the understanding of these authors' lives and literature. Have fun looking around.

John Steinbeck, 1902-1968

Steinbeck
Originally uploaded by Timmy Tebow.

Best writer ever. Period.

Some of Steinbeck's most well known novels are: East of Eden; Grapes of Wrath; Of Mice and Men; The Winter of our Discontent; In Dubious Battle; and several others.

Steinbeck was fond of writing about the place he grew up, Salinas, CA, and the people who suffered during the Depression. Known for his ambiguous endings, Steinbeck relied on his reader to infer information in order to reach a conclusion about the novels' endings.

Official website: http://www.steinbeck.org

An excellent and comprehensive resource: http://www.steinbeck.sjsu.edu/home/index.jsp

Introduction for Steinbeck at his Nobel Prize banquet: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/press.html

Steinbeck's Nobel Prize acceptance speech: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-speech.html

William Faulkner, 1897-1962

Faulkner2
Originally uploaded by Timmy Tebow.

The finely groomed mustache and the pipe. The Southern drawl and the three piece suits. Who else, but Mr. William Faulkner...

Faulkner's most well known works are: The Sound and the Fury; Absalom, Absalom!; As I Lay Dying; Big Woods; and several others.

The William Faulkner Foundation: http://www.uhb.fr/faulkner/wf/index.htm

An excellent and comprehensive website: http://www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/faulkner.html

Introduction for Faulkner at his Nobel Prize banquet: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/press.html

Faulkner's Nobel Prize acceptance speech: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1949/faulkner-speech.html

Ernest Hemingway, 1899-1961

Great beard. Short sentences. Premature death.

Hemingway
Originally uploaded by Timmy Tebow.

You know what I'm talking about.

Nobel Prize winning Ernest Hemingway lived a full, and what many would consider a complicated life. Hemingway's most well known works are: The Old Man and the Sea; Farewell to Arms; For Whom the Bell Tolls; The Sun Also Rises, and several others, including 7 books posthumously.

To link to an excellent website, whose logo is in the upper left corner, go to: http://www.ernest.hemingway.com/

Official website: http://www.hemingwaysociety.org/

Introduction for Hemingway at his Nobel Prize banquet: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/press.html

Hemingway's Nobel Prize acceptance speech: http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1954/hemingway-speech.html

Ayn Rand, 1905-1982

Rand
Originally uploaded by Timmy Tebow.

Why Ayn Rand? Of the four writers in this group, she is the only one who does not possess a Nobel Prize. Known for being "controversial," "anti-Christian," "female," and a few other negative descriptions, Russian born Ayn Rand simply wrote excellent books, and this is why she is included in this group of authors who changed the face of literature.

Rand's most well known works are: The Fountainhead; Atlas Shrugged; Anthem; and others.

Rand's official website: http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServer

Another good website: http://www.ayn-rand.com/

Tobias Wolff, 1945-present

Wolff
Originally uploaded by Timmy Tebow.

Known mainly for his short stories and memoirs, Tobias Wolff (great name) joins the list of authors listed above for one main reason: he has been profoundly influenced by these writers, and he makes Hemingway, Rand, and the poet Robert Frost real characters in his novel Old School.

Wolff's most popular works are This Boy's Life (a memoir made into a movie starring Robert DeNiro and Leonardo DeCaprio) and Old School (his first novel).

While there is not a lot of information about Wolff on the Internet, here are some helpful websites: http://www.bloomsbury.com/authors/microsite.asp?id=638&section=1

http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst/wolff.html

Great movies for the English classroom

Here are some great movie titles that supplement the English classroom very well:

1.) Dead Poets Society (the all time classic): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097165/

2.) Finding Forrester: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181536/

3.) The Emperor's Club (yes, it's about a History teacher, but concepts and discussion topics are too good to pass up): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283530/

4.) What Dreams May Come (helpful when teaching Dante's Inferno): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120889/

5.) Cinderella Man (helpful when teaching works written about the Depression): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352248/