Great American Novel
Few literary terms are more hotly debated, discounted, or derided than the "Great American Novel." But while critics routinely dismiss the phrase as at best hype and as at worst exclusionary, the belief that a national literature commensurate with both the scope and the contradictions of being American persists. In this podcast Scott Yarbrough and Kirk Curnutt examine totemic works such as Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and Toni Morrison's Beloved that have been labeled GANs, exploring their themes, forms, and reception histories, asking why, when, and how they entered the literary canon. Readers beware: there be spoilers here, and other hijinks ensue...
Great American Novel
Definitions and Debates: What Exactly is a GAN?
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Scott Yarbrough and Kirk Curnutt
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Season 1
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Episode 1
Ever since J. W. DeForest popularized the phrase "Great American Novel" in 1868 commentators have debated the limits of all three of its components. Does "great" necessarily mean a big "doorstop" book or is concision a worthy goal? Whose version America are we talking? And why the novel not a poem, play, or short story? In our inaugural episode we preview the challenges of defining a GAN and explore why so many writers have felt compelled to parody the concept as much as pursue it. Feel free to send us your thoughts on the problems of canonizing works of literature at greatamericannovelpodcast@gmail.com. Music in this episode is by Lobo Loco: "Old Ralley" (intro) and "Inspector Unvisible" (outro).