What the Great American Novel Really Means for Writers Today (And Why Your Story Matters)
Photo by Elevae Visuals
When you picture the Great American Novel, what comes to mind?
For most people, it's probably one of the usual suspects: The Great Gatsby, Moby-Dick, maybe The Catcher in the Rye. The literary canon has long been dominated by a particular type of story—often by white male authors exploring themes of disillusionment, ambition, or adventure.
But the actual history of the term reveals something far more radical: the Great American Novel was never supposed to be one singular voice. It was always meant to be a chorus.
The Unexpected Origins of a Literary Ideal
The phrase "Great American Novel" was coined by John William De Forest in an 1868 essay published in The Nation. Writing just after the Civil War, De Forest envisioned a work that would paint a "realistic portrayal of everyday American life and soul"—a national epic for a reunifying nation.
But here's the surprising part: when De Forest evaluated the novels of his time, he dismissed many of the books we might expect. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter? Not quite. James Fenimore Cooper's The Last of the Mohicans? Close, but not quite there.
The book he said came closest? Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Uncle Tom's Cabin became the bestselling novel of the 19th century in the US and the second bestselling book of the century overall, after the Bible. More importantly, it did something no American novel had done before: it exposed a glaring societal flaw so powerfully that it helped catalyze the abolitionist movement.
This wasn't a book that celebrated America. It was a book that challenged America to be better.
What Makes a Great American Novel?
As the concept evolved through the 20th century, certain criteria emerged. According to literary scholars, a Great American Novel should:
Encompass the entire nation, not just one region
Reflect the character, destiny, triumphs, and mistakes of America
Feel accessible and representative of the people
Speak to the American condition across generations
But there's a catch. De Forest himself said that "the great American poem book will not be written, no matter what genius attempts it, until democracy, the idea of our day and nation and race, has agonized and conquered through centuries."
In other words: we're not done yet. The Great American Novel can't be written until we've heard from everyone.
The Mosaic Theory of American Literature
Think of American literature not as a single masterpiece, but as a mosaic. Each story—each perspective—is a small piece that contributes to a larger, more complex picture.
For me, stories of California and the West ring the truest.
But in the 1800s, for example, the West Coast experience was different from the East Coast reality. California didn't become a state until 1850. While established cities on the East Coast were experiencing the Industrial Revolution with telephone lines and growing universities, the West was still being explored. The Oregon Trail was active. These were two completely different American realities existing simultaneously.
This geographic and cultural diversity means there's no way to capture "America" in one story. And that's the point.
Today, we see this principle in action with books like Percival Everett's James, which reimagines Huckleberry Finn from Jim's perspective, offering a powerful counter-narrative to the original classic. These aren't competing stories—they're complementary pieces of a larger truth.
Why Your "Small" Story Matters
Many writers struggle with the fear that their story isn't significant enough. They worry that writing about their specific community, heritage, or experience is too narrow. They try to make their work more "universal" by sanding down the specific details that make it unique.
This is exactly backward.
The power of American literature has always been in its specificity. Uncle Tom's Cabin worked because it was specific about the horrors of slavery. The Grapes of Wrath resonated because it was specific about the Dust Bowl migration. More recently, books exploring specific immigrant experiences, regional identities, and marginalized perspectives have expanded our understanding of what "American" means.
Your cookbook connecting food to your family's immigration story? That's a piece of the mosaic. Your memoir about growing up in a small Midwestern town? Another piece. Your novel exploring an identity that rarely gets representation in mainstream literature? Essential.
The Courage to Examine Mistakes
One of the most important aspects of truly great literature is its willingness to examine where we've gone wrong. There's currently an aversion in some circles to literature that critiques American history or exposes uncomfortable truths.
But this aversion misses the point entirely. Greatness isn't about perfection—it's about honesty. It's about having the courage to look at mistakes, learn from them, and use art to point toward something better.
No country is without fault. No nation's history is clean. The question isn't whether mistakes were made—it's whether we're brave enough to acknowledge them and do better.
Art has always been one of the most powerful tools for this kind of reckoning. Books can change minds, shift perspectives, and help us see experiences vastly different from our own.
Taking Up Space in Your Writing
If you're working on a writing project—whether it's fiction, memoir, or creative nonfiction—the most important thing you can do is refuse to shrink.
Don't try to appeal to everyone. Don't sand down your specific perspective to make it more palatable. Don't apologize for taking up space.
The writers who create lasting work are the ones who commit fully to their vision. They write for specific people with a specific mission. They understand that trying to be everything to everyone results in work that resonates with no one.
Your story is part of the patchwork quilt of American identity. Without your thread, the pattern is incomplete.
The Great American Novel Is Still Being Written
Here's the liberating truth: the Great American Novel isn't one book sitting on a shelf somewhere, already written and finished. It's an ongoing project. It's the collective work of thousands of writers contributing their pieces to the mosaic.
We're seeing growing positive American patriotism that seeks to continually rewrite a better future from the materials of our past.
Every voice that adds to this conversation—every memoir that shares a new perspective, every novel that explores an underrepresented experience, every cookbook that connects food to cultural heritage—contributes to our evolving understanding of what it means to be American.
So write your story. Tell it in your voice. Make it specific, make it true, make it yours.
Because the Great American Novel isn't one story. It's all of them together—including yours.
Want help in making this a reality? Apply to work with me here.
