I enjoyed making my list of Civil War movies so much that I thought I would make my next top ten list. This time the top ten most important novels from a historians point of view (or at least my point of view). These are all fictional novels, so books like Night by Eli Wiesel are not included. These are not my favorite books, but books that made an impact, though some are also my favorite. Because of the length of this post I am going to break it into two parts, so if you are interested in the rest of the list check back next Monday. Without further ado, the list.
10. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner. This book was so popular that in 1939 it was made into an epic movie which made the Civil War movies lists. I alluded to its importance in the Civil War movies list. During the Great Depression, literature moved away from the lost generation of Fitzgerald and Hemmingway, where life was much easier, and they wrote novels that questioned the humanity of life. Mitchell took on a subject as large if not larger than the Depression, the Civil War. As I said before, she described a time when life was even harder, and through her heroin, she showed how people can endure and overcome hardships. It was very popular and is still the 49th largest selling book of all time.
9. Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, 1939. Also from the Depression era and important for the same reason. It showed hardships of workers but also heroism in the face of trial. The line throughout the movie that was so important was they were looking for a better tomorrow. The book sold 430,000 copies. Its popularity also led to the 1940 movie staring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford. This is a movie that would possibly make a top ten movie (I might have to make another list).
8. The Transcendentalists. For number eight, I could not decide on the most famous or best transcendentalist’s writer, so instead I will list the genera instead of a book. The Transcendentalists were very influential and even important in American cultural history. In the early 19th Century Europe was in the midst of the Romantic period, but for the first time Americans would do something different. Since Jamestown Americans had always mimicked Europe. It was Paris and Loudon that had culture, not American hicks. It was the Transcendentalists that first created an American style of art, it was similar to the Romantics, but yet different. The biggest difference was the celebration of nature or more importantly the wilderness, something Europe did not have in 1840. There are two types of Transcendentalist writers, the ones who wrote about individualism and self awarement and then those who wrote about the dark side. I will just mention a few
A. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Probably the most influential and founder of the Hudson River School.
B. Henry David Thoreau. Most famous books were Walden and Civil Disobedience. In Walden he wrote “I went to the woods because I wished to … front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I die, discover that I had not lived.” His most influential work was Civil Disobedience. The ideas taught in this book were a major inspirations for men such as Gandhi, Dr. King, and Caesar Chavez. (yes I know these are not novels, but you cannot talk about Transcendentalists without Thoreau)
C. Walt Whitman. My favorite of the group. His most famous book was Leaves of Grass, started in 1855 but added to until his death. His most famous poems in Leaves of Grass were Song Of Myself and O Captain My Captain about the late President Lincoln
As for the Dark side the three most famous are
A. Nathaniel Hawthorn, Scarlet Letter, 1850. This book condemned less the Puritan’s who condemned her for adultery, then the society that judged her
B. Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851, Very long boring book, the movie is just as long and boring. In the end the whale wins showing one could not shape their own destiny, and nature is too strong.
C. Edgar Allen Poe. The very best of the group. He had a twisted mind and wrote stories that are still scary today. Two classics are Fall of the House of Usher (movie with Vincent Price) and the Tell-Tale Heart. But his best is the Raven. My favorite version of the Raven comes from the Simpsons, I show it in class every year.
7. Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger, 1868. I am sure most have not heard of his book, but it is only one of 135 dime novels written by Alger, most of which have the same theme, in fact he wrote so many that this genre has become known as a Horatio Alger story. They are also known as “rags to riches stories.” His main character in the book, Dick, was a poor boy whose hard work was noticed, and his intellect developed so that he started out selling match books and by the end ran a major company and was very rich. Alger and this genre led to the creation of the American Myth, if you come to America and work hard you can become successful. People in Europe began saying American streets were paved with gold, but what they meant was in American everyone could be someone. That might mean just owning a small store, but it was still their own business. American is the great nation today because of immigrants (legal ones) who believed in books like Ragged Dick and decided to take a chance and worked hard to make their dreams come true
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960. I can not say enough about this book, not only does it historical important, but is one of my personal favorites, and the movie (1962 Academy award winning firm staring Gregory Peck) would be in my top 5 all time favorites. This book has plenty of humor, but also tells the story of rape and racial inequality in the Jim Crow South. A must read and a must watch for everyone. We thought of naming Jackson Atticus, but thought Atticus Finck was too close to the original name Atticus Finch and people would get it confused. If we ever have another daughter I will push to name her Scout.
10. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner. This book was so popular that in 1939 it was made into an epic movie which made the Civil War movies lists. I alluded to its importance in the Civil War movies list. During the Great Depression, literature moved away from the lost generation of Fitzgerald and Hemmingway, where life was much easier, and they wrote novels that questioned the humanity of life. Mitchell took on a subject as large if not larger than the Depression, the Civil War. As I said before, she described a time when life was even harder, and through her heroin, she showed how people can endure and overcome hardships. It was very popular and is still the 49th largest selling book of all time.
9. Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck, 1939. Also from the Depression era and important for the same reason. It showed hardships of workers but also heroism in the face of trial. The line throughout the movie that was so important was they were looking for a better tomorrow. The book sold 430,000 copies. Its popularity also led to the 1940 movie staring Henry Fonda and directed by John Ford. This is a movie that would possibly make a top ten movie (I might have to make another list).
8. The Transcendentalists. For number eight, I could not decide on the most famous or best transcendentalist’s writer, so instead I will list the genera instead of a book. The Transcendentalists were very influential and even important in American cultural history. In the early 19th Century Europe was in the midst of the Romantic period, but for the first time Americans would do something different. Since Jamestown Americans had always mimicked Europe. It was Paris and Loudon that had culture, not American hicks. It was the Transcendentalists that first created an American style of art, it was similar to the Romantics, but yet different. The biggest difference was the celebration of nature or more importantly the wilderness, something Europe did not have in 1840. There are two types of Transcendentalist writers, the ones who wrote about individualism and self awarement and then those who wrote about the dark side. I will just mention a few
A. Ralph Waldo Emerson. Probably the most influential and founder of the Hudson River School.
B. Henry David Thoreau. Most famous books were Walden and Civil Disobedience. In Walden he wrote “I went to the woods because I wished to … front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I die, discover that I had not lived.” His most influential work was Civil Disobedience. The ideas taught in this book were a major inspirations for men such as Gandhi, Dr. King, and Caesar Chavez. (yes I know these are not novels, but you cannot talk about Transcendentalists without Thoreau)
C. Walt Whitman. My favorite of the group. His most famous book was Leaves of Grass, started in 1855 but added to until his death. His most famous poems in Leaves of Grass were Song Of Myself and O Captain My Captain about the late President Lincoln
As for the Dark side the three most famous are
A. Nathaniel Hawthorn, Scarlet Letter, 1850. This book condemned less the Puritan’s who condemned her for adultery, then the society that judged her
B. Herman Melville, Moby Dick, 1851, Very long boring book, the movie is just as long and boring. In the end the whale wins showing one could not shape their own destiny, and nature is too strong.
C. Edgar Allen Poe. The very best of the group. He had a twisted mind and wrote stories that are still scary today. Two classics are Fall of the House of Usher (movie with Vincent Price) and the Tell-Tale Heart. But his best is the Raven. My favorite version of the Raven comes from the Simpsons, I show it in class every year.
7. Ragged Dick, Horatio Alger, 1868. I am sure most have not heard of his book, but it is only one of 135 dime novels written by Alger, most of which have the same theme, in fact he wrote so many that this genre has become known as a Horatio Alger story. They are also known as “rags to riches stories.” His main character in the book, Dick, was a poor boy whose hard work was noticed, and his intellect developed so that he started out selling match books and by the end ran a major company and was very rich. Alger and this genre led to the creation of the American Myth, if you come to America and work hard you can become successful. People in Europe began saying American streets were paved with gold, but what they meant was in American everyone could be someone. That might mean just owning a small store, but it was still their own business. American is the great nation today because of immigrants (legal ones) who believed in books like Ragged Dick and decided to take a chance and worked hard to make their dreams come true
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee, 1960. I can not say enough about this book, not only does it historical important, but is one of my personal favorites, and the movie (1962 Academy award winning firm staring Gregory Peck) would be in my top 5 all time favorites. This book has plenty of humor, but also tells the story of rape and racial inequality in the Jim Crow South. A must read and a must watch for everyone. We thought of naming Jackson Atticus, but thought Atticus Finck was too close to the original name Atticus Finch and people would get it confused. If we ever have another daughter I will push to name her Scout.
Just think, there are still five even better. Feel free to add your own, but you might want to wait until next Monday.
2 comments:
I can't wait for the top five.
Good list. Gone With the Wind would certainly make my top ten as well. Of course the subject matter is interesting, but it is also one of the best written books I have read. Truly literature.
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