Harry sinclair lewis 18851951, better know as sinclair lewis, was born in the village of sauk centre, minnesota, which would later become the basis for main street. 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. Many people prefer to read offline or to print out text and read from the real printed page. The first edition of the novel was published in 1920, and was written by sinclair 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. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 454 pages and is available in paperback format. At the center of main street is carol kennicott, the wife of a town doctor, who dreams of initiating social reforms and introducing art and literature to the community. Main street 1920 is a story about carol milford, who is convinced by her new husband, dr. Main street vilified small town snobbery and decried americas superficial materialism. Main street, by sinclair lewis universidade do minho.
Will kennicott, to leave the city life to which she is accustomed. Like the maker of the universe with stars a hundred thousand lightyears apart was interested, furious, and very personal about it if a small boy. Main street by sinclair lewis free ebook project gutenberg. The great gatsby summed up the roaring twenties, and fitzgeralds personal life embodied the flatout failure of the once exalted american dream. Lewis, and his mother, emma kermott lewis, who died when harry, as he was then called, was six years old.
But its main street is the continuation of main streets everywhere. She marries will kennicott, a doctor, who is a smalltown boy at heart. What has sinclair lewis done lately to deserve a new, fivehundredandfiftyfourpage plus notes and index biography, sinclair lewis. In 1903, he began attending yale university, taking time off in 1906 to join as a janitor helicon hall, a cooperative living community created and run by the jungle novelist, upton sinclair. Main street requires conformity to tradition and social standards in exchange for recognition, respect and love from ones neighbors, the city offers freedom and individuality precisely because theres noone there who cares about you or what you do. 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.
Born in 1885 in minnesota, sinclair lewis worked as a newspaper journalist before becoming an acclaimed novelist. You can also read the full text online using our ereader. 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. Shaw, in his characteristically flippant manner, spoke the truth when he said that lewiss criticisms applied to other nations as well, but that americans clung to the idea that they were unique in their faults literary digest, december 6, 1930. A librivox recording of main street by sinclair lewis, in the public domain. This is a list of film versions of sinclair lewiss novels, adapted from stephen r. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. A surprise bestseller, main street was to 1920 what the bridges of madison county was to the early 1990s, except perhaps for the fact that main street is actually good.
This classic by sinclair lewis shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire. One of lewis two unsuccessful novels of the 1920s, the other being the man who knew coolidge. Wonder he doesnt bleed himself i wellllllll a profound and serious yawn. Some smalltown residents resented their portrayal, and the book was banned by the public.
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 project gutenberg ebook of main street, by sinclair lewis this ebook is for the. Sinclair lewis, main street 1920 excerpts from the original electronic text found at the university of virginia librarys etext center homepage chapter 1 i. A dreamer, at age he unsuccessfully ran away from home, wanting to become a drummer boy in the spanish. It is the story of a gifted young girl, married to a dull, considerably older village doctor, and. Search for sinclair lewis at back to author index search for text within these titles. Paul, marries a country doctor who convinces her that, as his wife, she will be able to uplift and reform a grateful society in a minnesota prairie town. Sinclair lewis books, ebooks, audiobooks, biography.
Collecting main street by lewis, sinclair first edition. The town is, in our tale, called 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 could be any of. This library of america series edition is printed on acidfree paper and features smythsewn binding, a full cloth cover, and a ribbon marker. Carol milford is a liberal, freespirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of saint paul, minnesota. Main street is an american classic that i somehow missed until now, despite growing up in minnesota.
The book has been awarded with pulitzer prize for novel 1926. In main street, lewis vividly portrays the petty backstabbers and hypocrites. The following is a time line of significant events in his life. Main street was an immediate, phenomenal success when it was published in 1920, making it the book of the century up to that point. The novel is set in gopher prairie, roughly based on sauk centre, minnesota, lewis s.
Main street by sinclair lewis english literature essay. A dreamer, at age he unsuccessfully ran away from home, wanting to become a drummer boy in the spanishamerican war. She immediately doesnt fit in, and she spends years trying to reform the. Oct 24, 20 main street 1920 by sinclair lewis is a critique of capitalism through a feminist lens, among other things. National humanities center sinclair lewis, main street, 1920, excerpts. Main street by sinclair lewis pdf free download ebook. New introductions commissioned from todays top writers and scholars. Main street is a story about carol milford, who is convinced by her new husband, dr. Main street by sinclair lewis full text free book file size. 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 lewis 1885 1951 sinclair lewis february 7, 1885 january 10, 1951 was an american novelist and playwright. In the first six months of 1921, it sold 180,000 copies. Known for their satirical take on modern affairs, his bestknown books include main street, arrowsmith, babbitt, and dodsworth. Pastores list, a guide to films based on works of sinclair lewis, which appears in the sinclair lewis society newsletter spring 1998. The librivox catalog page for this work lists the librivox readers. Her mother they had buried near the monongahelathe girl herself had heaped with torn sods the grave beside the river of the beautiful name. What ole jenson the grocer says to ezra stowbody the banker is the new law for london, prague, and the unprofitable isles of the sea. Sinclair lewis s main street, published in 1920, was not expected to be a commercial success. Her efforts to bring culture to the prairie village are met. Like it isnt what you earn but how spend it that fixes your class. Some of lewiss contemporaries said the novel was too bleak, even humorless, in its conveyance of ignorant smalltown life and people. I read main street in college and i appreciated the work the and even more now as i reread it as a keen insight as to the origins of our political and social weirdness as a country. Will kennicott just after college and moves to the small town of gopher prairie, minnesota. Paul, marries a country doctor who convinces her that, as his wife, she will be able to uplift and reform a.
Main street requires conformity to tradition and social standards in exchange for recognition, respect and love from ones neighbors, the city offers freedom and individuality precisely because theres noone there who. Main street attacks the conformity and dullness of earlytwentiethcentury midwestern village life in the story of carol milford, the city girl who marries the town doctor. And it was the very best of watercoolers, uptodate, scientific, and rightthinking. 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. Satire and social reform in sinclair lewiss novels main street and. 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. Arrowsmith sinclair lewis chapter 1 the driver of the wagon swaying through forest and swamp of the ohio wilderness was a ragged girl of fourteen. They relocate to his hometwon of gopher prairie, minnesota, where she is taken aback by the little towns backward ways and ugly appearance, which she sets about to improve. Main street is ranked 68th on modern librarys 100 best englishlanguage novels of the 20th century. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 428 pages and is available in hardcover format. They relocate to his hometown of gopher prairie, minnesota, where she is taken aback by the little towns backward ways and ugly appearance. His main character, amory blaine, was, like fitzgerald himself, a man whose faith had been shaken by world events. Carol milford is a liberal, freespirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of minneapolis.
Harry sinclair lewis february 7, 1885 january 10, 1951 was an american novelist, shortstory writer and playwright. In 1920 lewis achieved instant worldwide recognition with the publication of main street, which, according to lewis s biographer mark schorer, was the most sensational event in 20thcentury american publishing history. Main street, sinclair lewis main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920. He hadnt even any satisfaction in the new watercooler. Sinclair lewis books, ebooks, audiobooks, biography barnes. The above is the inscription on an unpretentious marker in the cemetery of sauk centre, minnesota. Carol stands out from the rest of the blodgett student body because of her originality. Main street by sinclair lewis in djvu, epub, fb3 download ebook.
No one could ever accuse sinclair lewis of being a prose stylist, unless it was to say that his novelistic style was somewhat artless, perfunctory, and clipped. In 1919, sherwood andersons poetic stories of smalltown folk in winesburg, ohio sold only a few thousand copies. In the first six months of 1921, main street sold over 180,000 copies. 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. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more. Unless you want to preach about how the worst aspects of small towns are also humanitys worst aspects, that is. Others want to carry documents around with them on their mobile phones and read while they are on the move. Lewis here is playing on the idea that most middle americans tend to have a clear understanding of what good religion is, even though there are hundreds of faiths in the world other than theirs. The first edition of the novel was published in 1925, and was written by sinclair lewis. The genre of main street can make for interesting discussion. However, main street generally is considered to be lewiss most significant and enduring work, along with its 1922 successor babbitt. Sinclair lewis he hadnt even any satisfaction in the new watercooler. Free download or read online arrowsmith pdf epub book. Mantrap is the story of new york lawyer ralph prescotts journey into the wilds of saskatchewan, and of his adventures there.
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. Print word pdf take our free main street quiz below, with 25 multiple choice questions that help you test your. Now an american classic, sinclair lewiss bestselling novel main street became the decades statement of the citytown divide in america. The books power derives from the careful rendering of local speech, customs, and social amenities.
The grove of oaks at the end of the street suggested indians, hunting, snowshoes, and she struggled past the earthbanked cottages to the open country, to a farm and a low hill corrugated with hard snow. They insinuate their tyranny under a hundred guises and pompous names, such as polite society, the family, the church, sound business, the party, the country, the superior white race. Sinclair lewis books biography and list of works author. On a hill by the mississippi where chippewas camped two generations ago, a girl stood in relief against the cornflower blue of northern sky. Not individuals but institutions are the enemies, and they most afflict the disciples who the most generously serve them.
Main street 1920 by sinclair lewis is a critique of capitalism through a feminist lens, among other things. In his highest point of acclaim, sinclair lewis was touted as the author who personified the essence of americas main street. Main street is an satirical novel by nobel prize winning author sinclair lewis. 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. Main street by sinclair lewis full text free book full text archive. Pdf the american novelist, sinclair find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. 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. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are. It is the middle stone of three, for the famous son is buried between his father, dr. This seems to me to be the fundamental dilemma that lewis sets up. Free download or read online main street pdf epub book.
Born harry sinclair lewis in sauk centre, minnesota, he began reading books at a young age and kept a diary. If the poor fish would have his teeth xrayed, ill bet nine and a half cents hed find an abscess there. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. 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 an satirical novel by nobel prize winning author sinclair lewis carol milford is a liberal, freespirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of saint paul, minnesota. Lewis felt it would sell 10,000 copies, and his publisher predicted a run of 20,000 would be adequate. In 1920 lewis achieved instant worldwide recognition with the publication of main street, which, according to lewiss biographer mark schorer, was the most sensational event in 20thcentury american publishing history.
The first generation gap of the century was now in full force, a gap opened by a war that had claimed. Lewis presents problems but not any clear answers, which i think is perfect. Pdf main street book by sinclair lewis free download. The first of his major novels of the 1920s, sinclair lewiss main street satirizes the manners of the american middle west. That this ford car might stand in front of the bon ton store, hannibal invaded rome and erasmus wrote in oxford cloisters. The novel spawned two separate film adaptations, mantrap 1926, and untamed 1940. Visit the sinclair lewis listing at internet movie database for a more thorough listing of most of the movies and mini series. Pdf arrowsmith book by sinclair lewis free download 428. Main street is very, very american, but it is not purely american. 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. Dec 27, 2010 this classic by sinclair lewis shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire.
I know there was a lot of antagonism against lewis for his portrayal of life in small town minnesota, and maybe thats why i dont recall any discussion of him or his fiction in high school in the early 60s despite the. This is a list of film versions of sinclair lewis s novels, adapted from stephen r. It was the first in a string of novels written by sinclair lewis in the 1920s, including babbitt, arrowsmith, and elmer gantry, that established him as one of the preeminent authors of american literature. Main street is ranked 68th on modern librarys 100 best englishlanguage novels of. On the huge sales of main street, the reasons for its. 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. The small denominational college with its inhibitions, the ugliness of the prairie towns, and the uninspired thinking of most of carols contemporaries are all mentioned or implied in these introductory chapters. He was also awarded the pulitzer prize for arrowsmith, but declined. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are. Read sinclair lewis books online the literature page. Rebel from main street, by richard lingeman random house.
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