Analysis main street 1920 sinclair lewis 18851951 my dear. 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. Eventually, carol stops fighting to be a part of mens conversations. The novel is set in gopher prairie, roughly based on sauk centre, minnesota, lewiss. Selected essays and other writings, 19041950, 1953 harry e. Literary critics have mixed emotions about his work.
One of the first things sinclair lewis wants us to know about carol kennicotts college is that its a place of sound religion, which means that its a christian college that has nothing to do with catholicism. Jane smiley on sinclair lewiss main street books the guardian. Will kennicott just after college and moves to the small town of gopher prairie, minnesota. In both babbit 1922 and main street 1920 lewis shows us the american culture of the 1920s. In writing main street, sinclair lewis paid little attention to formal plot development.
But neither carol nor main street has been analyzed thoroughly as an. 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. Main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920 satirizing small town life, main street is perhaps sinclair lewis s most famous book, and led in part to his eventual 1930 nobel prize for literature. The romance of sinclair lewis by gore vidal the new. Carol kennicott in washington, dc 3 ii for a month they discussed it. And i believe that without a proper understanding of lewiss engagement with his. In the discussion that follows i want to suggest that a radical reevaluation of this reputation, and of lewiss achievement as a novelist, is necessary. Main street 1920 sinclair lewis 18851951 my dear mr. The remarkable fact about this attempt, and the fact that has unfortunately rendered it virtually invisible to critics, is that lewis is making an analysis of america in the vernacular. I started with babbitt, a worthy novel, but inferior to main street. Lewis trenchant social commantary is present in both. Main street is a novel by sinclair lewis, published in 1920. In the first six months of 1921, it sold 180,000 copies. She immediately doesnt fit in, and she spends years trying to reform the.
Editions of main street by sinclair lewis goodreads. Main street essays are academic essays for citation. Lewis most affirmative vision of what he meannt by freedom is found in his novel free air, which was serialized in the saturday evening post in the spring of 1919, the year before main street and babbitt made him a household name. I offer critical analysis of the major novels, but i. Main street, sinclair lewis main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920. 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. Main street opens with this passage that shows exactly what lewis was known for in his writing. Chesterton comments briefly on the most popular book of the day, sinclair lewiss main street chesterton finds it ironic that denizens of main streets all over america were reading and praising lewiss relentless attack on the mediocrity and. The novel tells the story of carol milford, a young progressive woman raised in st. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Why was the book main street by sinclair lewis banned by the american library association.
Sinclair lewiss main street, published in 1920, was not expected to be a commercial success. The sights, sounds, and people were all given names and identities, but none are exclusive to the plains of minnesota. 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. The first of sinclair lewiss great successes, main street shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire of narrowminded provincialism. This was in order to provoke a different, or perhaps, a negative view of the small, rural town life to the readers of the 1920s. The controversy provoked by babbitt was influential in the decision to award the nobel prize in literature to lewis in 1930 the word babbitt entered the english language as a person and especially a business or. The theme in books by sinclair lewis1 relates to the time in which they were written.
The most celebrated are sinclair lewis, whose novel main street 1920 is a satirical portrait of smalltown provincialism modeled on his hometown of sauk centre, and f. Throughout the novel, her marriage to kennicott endures its ups and downs, although she continues to love and admire him. Even when hes trying to be dead serious, sinclair lewis cant help but mock the parts of peoples personalities that he finds lacking. 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. Sinclair lewis i am writing to tell you how glad i am that you wrote main street. Sinclair lewis, the first american to win the nobel prize for literature, was a colossus of american letters in the first half of the last century.
Paul, who marries will kennicott, a smalltown doctor. A writer from his youth, lewis wrote for and edited the yale literary magazine while a student, and started his literary career writing popular stories. The reception amongst reallife smalltown residents was similarly unfavorable. They hurt each other very much, and sometimes they were close to weeping, and invariably he used banal trite phrases about her. The story of main street by sinclair lewis had been written as an aggressive satire that focused primarily on social issues of the small towns of the american midwest. Sinclair lewis was also a son, a husband, and a father. 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 revisited is a 1998 videocassette from. Jane smiley continues her series on the novel with a look at sinclair lewis s main street, about the claustrophobia of smalltown life in america jane smiley sat 24 jun 2006 08. But in a memoir, sinclair lewis s first wife, grave hegger, claimed that main street was not a satire until the critics began calling him a. Letters of sinclair lewis, 19191930, 1952 harrison smith, editor. 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. They share a nimble, though often heavy handed touch of irony, and good characterization. Main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920. Nobel prizewinning writer sinclair lewis 18851951 is best known for novels like main street, babbitt, arrowsmith for which he was awarded but declined the pulitzer prize, and elmer gantry.
Lewiss opening claim for main street, the notorious statement that. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary. Satirizing small town life, main street is perhaps sinclair lewiss most famous. The genre of main street can make for interesting discussion.
Free air is the story of two young people, milt and claire. National humanities center sinclair lewis, main street, 1920, excerpts. 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. 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. Lewis felt it would sell 10,000 copies, and his publisher predicted a run of 20,000 would be adequate. 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.
Carol kennicott nee milford, educated at tiny blodgett college, wants action. The project gutenberg ebook of main street, by sinclair lewis this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Sinclair lewiss novel main street is a scathing indictment of life in smalltown america during the early years of the 20th century. Read consecutively, main street and babbitt make up an extraordinarily ambitious attempt to define america and the individual american at the start of the 1920s. Lewis most affirmative vision of what he means by freedom is found in his novel free air, which was serialized in the saturday evening post in the spring of 1919, the year before main street and babbitt made him a household name.
In the year when warren harding was successfully campaigning for the presidency with the pledge of a return to normalcy, lewis. Inspired by lewis childhood in sauk centre, minnesota, it criticizes romantic notions of small town life in the united states. 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. Sinclair lewiss main street minnesota digital library. 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. 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. Consequently the narrative presents a series of episodes rather than a tightly constructed plot. Main street by sinclair lewis is the tale of a woman from the city who marries a small town man and moves into that town with him. Main street was not simply main street in gopher prairie, but a representation of every american town. 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 could be any of.
Analysis of sinclair lewiss novels literary theory and criticism. Dive deep into sinclair lewis main street with extended analysis, commentary, and discussion. Milt is a smalltown mechanic and garage owner, and claire is from long island and in the middle of a. Arguably, he is the first major modern writer of the 20th century, as there is american literature before main street 1920 and after that seminal novel, which revolutionized writing in the us.
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. As a matter of fact i suppose it will find most of its readers in the cities. Main street by sinclair lewis english literature essay. Scott fitzgerald, whose the great gatsby 1925 is narrated by nick carrawaylike fitzgeraldan ivy leagueeducated minnesotan who relocates to the east coast. Related questions and answers for characters in main street. As the book discusses, it has always been an american myth that the small towns were idealic, prosperous and peaceful. The personal life of sinclair lewis often paralleled in certain aspects to his novels. Will kennicott, to leave the city life to which she is accustomed. The satirical novel criticizes the smalltown lifestyle, classing it amongst lewis contemporaries as somewhat bleak in nature.
Sinclair lewiss critical reputation could not easily be lower than it is at present. Main street 1920 is a story about carol milford, who is convinced by her new husband, dr. Books, main street, babbitt, quotes, biography, political views 2002 duration. Lewis loosely based gopher prairie on his own hometown of sauk centre, minnesota, and the character of carol on himself. Jane smiley on sinclair lewiss main street books the.
Analysis of sinclair lewiss novels literary theory and. Milt is a smalltown mechanic and garage owner, and. Babbitt 1922, by sinclair lewis, is a satirical novel about american culture and society that critiques the vacuity of middle class life and the social pressure toward conformity. They relocate to his hometown of gopher prairie, minnesota, where she is taken aback by the little towns backward ways and ugly appearance. Main street 1920 by sinclair lewis is a critique of capitalism through a feminist lens, among other things. Main street is a novel by sinclair lewis that was first published in 1920. Lewis begins with a prologue describing gopher prairies main street as the continuation of main streets everywhere. Main street is the novel that established sinclair lewis literary reputation and was his first commercial success. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of main street by sinclair lewis. Main street, sinclair lewis, introduction, brooke allen, read also extremely loud and incredibly close analysis when focusing on the main characters within the novel of main street by sinclair lewis, it is ideal to narrow the main characters down to carol kennicott and dr.