The main characters of this classics, fiction story are. What has sinclair lewis done lately to deserve a new, fivehundredandfiftyfourpage plus notes and index biography, sinclair lewis. The book satirizes the ugliness and conformity found in small midwest towns during the second decade of the twentieth century and ridicules the uninspired and selfsatisfied inhabitants. On a hill by the mississippi where chippewas camped two generations ago, a girl stood in relief against the cornflower blue of northern sky. She marries will kennicott, a doctor, who is a smalltown boy at. Main street, originally published in 1920, is the story of a sophisticated young woman who moves to a small town in the american midwest in 1912 and struggles against the smallminded culture of the citizens who live there. In 1930, he became the first writer from the united states to be awarded the nobel prize in literature, for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters. It was prickly hot, yet the town was barren under the bleak sky. The story of main street is filtered through the eyes of carol kennicott, a young woman married to a midwestern doctor who settles in the minnesota town of gopher prairie modeled on lewiss hometown of sauk centre. Main street is the novel that established sinclair lewis literary reputation and was his first commercial success.
The remarkable novels presented here in this library of america volume combine brilliant satire with a lingering affection for the men and women, who, as lewis wrote of. Sinclair lewis 18851951 a social satire, main street became a bestseller soon after its publication, fascinating readers with its biting humor and realistic portrayal of smalltown communities. Jane smiley on sinclair lewiss main street books the. Sinclair lewis 1885 1951 sinclair lewis february 7, 1885 january 10, 1951 was an american novelist and playwright born harry sinclair lewis in sauk centre, minnesota, he began reading books at a young age and kept a diary. The first edition of the novel was published in 1920, and was written by sinclair lewis. It relates the life and struggles of carol milford kennicott in the small town of gopher prairie, minnesota, as she comes into conflict with the smalltown mentality of its residents. Reflecting his own unhappy childhood in sauk centre, minnesota, lewiss sixth novel attacked the conformity and dullness he saw in midwestern village life. Editions of main street by sinclair lewis goodreads. Towns as planless as a scattering of pasteboard boxes on an attic floor. Search for sinclair lewis at back to author index search for text within these titles. Carol kennicott nee milford, educated at tiny blodgett college, wants action. In 1930 he became the first american to be awarded the nobel prize in literature, for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters. Sinclair lewis biography childhood, life achievements. A dreamer, at age he unsuccessfully ran away from home, wanting to become a drummer boy in the spanishamerican war.
Like carol, sinclair lewis was no stranger to disappointment. But in a memoir, sinclair lewiss first wife, grave hegger, claimed that main street was not a satire until the critics began calling him a. Main street by sinclair lewis free ebook manybooks. When they marry, will convinces her to live in his hometown of gopher prairie, minnesota.
The town, gopher prairie, is closely patterned on sauk centre, minnesota, which is where sinclair lewis grew up, although the book makes clear that it. The first of sinclair lewis s great successes, main street shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire of narrowminded provincialism. In main street and babbitt, sinclair lewis drew on his boyhood memories of sauk centre, minnesota, to reveal as no writer had done before the complacency and conformity of middleclass life in america. Born in 1885 in minnesota, sinclair lewis worked as a newspaper journalist before becoming an acclaimed novelist. The job is an early work by american novelist sinclair lewis. Rebel from main street, by richard lingeman random house. Reflecting his own unhappy childhood in sauk centre, minnesota, lewis s sixth novel attacked the conformity and dullness he saw in midwestern village life. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. The genre of main street can make for interesting discussion. An irritable clank and rattle beneath a prolonged roar. Sinclair lewis 1885 1951 carol milford is a liberal, freespirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of minneapolis. Main street became a household word, both in the united states and abroad, within a few years after the publication of sinclair lewis widely read novel.
Its not the most obviously exciting read, but it finds danger, excitement and drama hidden in the every day. It relates the life and struggles of carol milford kennicott in the small town of gopher prairie, minnesota, as she comes into conflict with the smalltown. Softened neither by snow nor by waving boughs the houses squatted and scowled, revealed in their unkempt harshness. It cant happen here is a semisatirical political novel by sinclair lewis published in 1935.
He was the first american writer to win the nobel prize in literature. Sinclair lewis main street to james branch cabell and joseph hergesheimer this is americaa town of a few thousand, in a region of wheat and corn and dairies and little groves. The books power derives from the careful rendering of local speech, customs, and social amenities. It cant happen here, by sinclair lewis, free ebook. Main street is a novel by sinclair lewis that was first published in 1920. She marries will kennicott, a doctor, who is a smalltown boy at heart. First published in 1920, main street is sinclair lewis first major novel, and was a phenomenal success at the time.
Sinclair lewiss main street is a long meditation on this peculiarly american combination of freedom and rigidity. The town is, in our tale, called gopher prairie, minnesota. Its a big, sprawling book with no discernible plot, like a soap opera. See all books authored by sinclair lewis, including it cant happen here, and main street, and more on. Main street by sinclair lewis full text free book part. They share a nimble, though often heavy handed touch of irony, and good characterization. See a complete list of the characters in main street and indepth analyses of carol kennicott and dr. His works are known for their insightful and critical views of american. The sharp scent of oranges cutting the soggy smell of unbathed people and ancient baggage. Main street is the book that first established sinclair lewiss reputation as an important writer is both a satire and an affectionate portrait of gopher prairie, a typical american town, which was undoubtedly suggested by sauk centre, minnesota, where lewis was born. Gopher prairie is about as far from town planning as you can imagine. Main street, novel by sinclair lewis, published in 1920. That would all change when main street hit shelves in 1920 and sold 250,000 copies in its first yeara crazy huge number for the 1920s. Sinclair lewis was an american novelist and a short story writer.
Babbitt, main street, the trail of the hawk, moths in the arc light, nature, inc. Satirizing small town life, main street is perhaps sinclair lewiss most famous book, and led in part to his eventual 1930 nobel prize for literature. Main street by sinclair lewis by sinclair lewis nook. Known for their satirical take on modern affairs, his bestknown books include main street, arrowsmith, babbitt, and dodsworth. It serves as a warning that political movements akin to nazism. But its main street is the continuation of main streets everywhere. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg.
They relocate to his hometown of gopher prairie, minnesota, where she is taken aback by the little towns backward ways and ugly appearance. The focus is on the main character, una golden, who desires to establish herself in a legitimate occupation while balancing the eventual need for marriage. Lewis trenchant social commantary is present in both. Although many literary critics have dismissed him as a novelist and criticized the swedish academy for their choice there is no doubt that few writers of his era had such a profound effect on american culture as he had. I started with babbitt, a worthy novel, but inferior to main street. In writing main street, sinclair lewis paid little attention to formal plot development. The remarkable novels presented here in this library of america volume combine brilliant satire. Main street by sinclair lewis serial reader for ios and. Sinclair lewis 18851951 won the nobel prize for literature in 1930, the first american novelist to be so honored. It features newspaperman doremus jessup struggling against the fascist regime of president berzelius buzz windrip, who resembles gerald b. Main street 1920 is a story about carol milford, who is convinced by her new husband, dr.
Free download or read online main street pdf epub book. Under the rolling clouds of the prairie a moving mass of steel. Listen to the lake wobegon portion of a prairie home companion, garrison. According to biographer richard lingeman, main street made lewis. The story would be the same in ohio or montana, in kansas or kentucky or illinois, and not very differently would it be told up york state or in the carolina hills. National humanities center sinclair lewis, main street, 1920, excerpts. Winrod, the kansas evangelist whose farright views earned him the nickname the jayhawk nazi. Will kennicott, to leave the city life to which she is accustomed. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis.
Main street by sinclair lewis free ebook project gutenberg. Published in 1920, the novel follows carol milford as she moves to a conventional small town, where she encounters its conceited residents characterized by their ignorance, hypocrisy, and. Carol milford kennicott, a graduate of sanctimonious blodgett college, with a year of additional study in a chicago library school, works as a librarian in st. Sinclair lewiss main street, published in 1920, tells the story of carol milford, a clever and ambitious young woman, who at college harbours dreams of a career as a town planner. Harry sinclair lewis was an american novelist, shortstory writer, and playwright. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Sinclair lewis books, ebooks, audiobooks, biography. Sinclair lewis books list of books by author sinclair lewis. Consequently the narrative presents a series of episodes rather than a tightly constructed plot. It is considered an early declaration of the rights of working women. Doremus jessup, editor and proprietor of the daily informer, the bible of the conservative vermont farmers up and down the beulah valley, was born in fort beulah in 1876, only son of an impecunious universalist pastor, the reverend loren jessup. Today, many people think of the book as a great example of satire because of the way it exposes the people of gopher prairie to ridicule as typical smalltown americans.
Jane smiley continues her series on the novel with a look at sinclair lewiss main street, about the claustrophobia of smalltown life in america jane smiley sat 24 jun 2006 08. The heroine, carol kennicott, chafes at the dullness and sterility of her existence as the wife of the local doctor, and she. Main street, sinclair lewis main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920. Sinclair lewis february 7, 1885 january 10, 1951 was an american novelist, shortstory writer, and playwright. Highly acclaimed upon publication, main street remains a recognized american class. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 454 pages and is available in paperback format. In 1930, he became the first writer from the united states and the first from the americas to receive the nobel prize in literature, which was awarded for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters. However, she marries a doctor, who persuades her to settle with him in gopher prairie, minnesota. This is americaa town of a few thousand, in a region of wheat and corn and dairies and little groves.
The first of sinclair lewiss great successes, main street shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire of narrowminded provincialism. A teachers guide to the signet classic edition of sinclair lewiss main street. As only his home town could know him sauk centre herald sinclair lewis 1885 1951 the internet public library, online literary criticism collection sinclair lewis 18851951 new grub street lewis, sinclair writer 18851951 american history 102. Main street is an satirical novel by nobel prize winning author sinclair lewis. Read sinclair lewis books online the literature page. A satirical novel chronicling carol milfords idealistic efforts to reform her new smalltown home. His works are known for their insightful and critical views of american society. The first of his major novels of the 1920s, sinclair lewiss main street satirizes the manners of the american middle west. Here at fadedpage and our companion site distributed proofreaders canada, we pride. His mother was no less than a bass, of massachusetts. Pdf main street book by sinclair lewis free download. Main street sinclair lewis audiobook and ebook all.
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