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The idea of the "Great American Novel" is the concept of a novel which is of high literary merit and shows the culture of the United States at a specific time in its history. It is presumably written by an American author who is knowledgeable about the state, culture, and perspective of the common American citizen. The author uses the literary work to identify and exhibit the language used by the American people of the time and to capture the unique American experience, especially as it is perceived for the time. In historical terms, it is sometimes equated as being the American response to the national epic.
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History
While fiction was written in colonial America as early as the 17th century, it was not until a distinct American identity developed in the 18th century that works classified as American literature began. America's identity as a nation was reflected alongside the development of its literature.
The term "Great American Novel" derives directly from the title of an 1868 essay by American Civil War novelist John William De Forest.
In modern usage, the term is often figurative and represents a canonical writing, making it a literary benchmark emblematic of what defines American literature in a given era. Aspiring writers of all ages, but especially students, are often said to be driven to write the "Great American Novel". Theoretically, such a work would be the greatest American book on American culture which could ever be written. Thus, the "Great American Novel" is a metaphor for identity, a Platonic ideal that is not achieved in any specific texts, but whose aim writers strive to mirror in their work.
Books referred to as a "Great American Novel"
At one time, the following works have been considered to be a Great American Novel: