Main street attacks the conformity and dullness of early 20th century midwestern village life in the story of carol milford, the city girl who marries the town doctor. The first edition of this novel was published in 1920, and was written by sinclair lewis. 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. Sinclair lewis, the main street burglary and a rejection notice share. Main street, novel by sinclair lewis, published in 1920. This was the tradition in which sinclair lewis had matured. Published in 1920, the novel follows carol milford as she moves to a conventional small town, where she encounters its conceited residents. Before you get into the meat of main street, sinclair lewis wants you to read a passage where he describes the small town of gopher prairie and the type of people who live there. A librivox recording of main street by sinclair lewis, in the public domain. Jan 09, 2016 sinclair lewis s first serious novel, our mr. Sinclair lewis, the main street burglary and a rejection. 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.
The first edition of the novel was published in 1920, and was written by sinclair lewis. Main street by sinclair lewis by sinclair lewis nook book. The book was a runaway bestseller, with millions of copies flying off the shelves in one of the biggest publishing events in american history up to that point. Pdf main street book by sinclair lewis free download 454. Main street 1920 was his first critical and commercial success.
Sinclair lewis 18851951, was born in sauk centre, minnesota, and graduated from yale in 1907. 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 satire is doubleedgeddirected against both the. Read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. Carol kennicott nee milford, educated at tiny blodgett. Scott fitzgerald, whose the great gatsby 1925 is narrated by nick carrawaylike fitzgeraldan ivy leagueeducated minnesotan who relocates to the east coast. Unable to make a living as a freelance writer, he returned to yale and earned his degree. 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. Customers who bought this item also bought these digital items. 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 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. Jun 03, 2008 sinclair lewiss main street is a long meditation on this peculiarly american combination of freedom and rigidity. 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. Sinclair lewis has 176 books on goodreads with 188870 ratings.
On july 17, 1920, sinclair lewis delivered the finished manuscript of main street to alfred harcourt in the hope that it would sell 10,000 copies. Pdf main street book by sinclair lewis free download. Visit the sinclair lewis listing at internet movie database for a more thorough listing of most of the movies and mini series. 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. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are. Virtually overnight, lewis became a wealthy, internationally recognized celebrity. This is a list of film versions of sinclair lewiss novels, adapted from stephen r. Buy a cheap copy of main street,by sinclair lewis book. Main street attacks the conformity and dullness of early 20th century midwestern village life in the story of carol milford, the. But its main street is the continuation of main streets everywhere. The book was published in multiple languages including english language, consists of 454 pages and is available in paperback format. The story of main street is seen 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 lewis hometown of sauk center. I started with babbitt, a worthy novel, but inferior to main street.
The novel tells the story of carol milford, a young progressive woman raised in st. The librivox catalog page for this work lists the librivox readers. Widely hailed as a milestone in american literature, sinclair lewis main street vividly describes a country on the verge of massive change, with traditional values being threatened by progress. Book summary in writing main street, sinclair lewis paid little attention to formal plot development. Twitter facebook email originally, the pulitzer prize for a novel was to go to a book which shall best present the wholesome atmosphere of american life.
Its a big, sprawling book with no discernible plot, like a soap opera. Inspired by lewis childhood in sauk centre, minnesota, it criticizes romantic notions of small town life in the united states. 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. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 454 pages and is available in paperback format. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and.
Main street by sinclair lewis by sinclair lewis nook. Sinclair lewiss novel main street is a scathing indictment of life in smalltown america during the early years of the 20th century. Free download or read online main street pdf epub book. Paul, who marries will kennicott, a smalltown doctor. First published in 1920, main street is sinclair lewis first major novel, and was a phenomenal success at the time. This classic by sinclair lewis shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire. Harry sinclair lewis february 7, 1885 january 10, 1951 was an american novelist, shortstory writer and playwright. The story of carol kennicott is a satiric attack on smalltown life. They share a nimble, though often heavy handed touch of irony, and good characterization. Main street 1920 is a story about carol milford, who is convinced by her new husband, dr.
The novels heroine, carol milford, is a highly educated, ambitious woman who plans to join a newly enlightened society. The publication of main street in 1920, however, secured lewis s literary reputation. The remarkable novels presented here in this library of america volume combine brilliant satire with a lingering affection for the men and women. Printed in th united states of america to james branch cab ell and joseph hergesheimer this is america a town of a few thousand, in a region of and corn and dairies and little groves. It relates the life and struggles of carol milford kennicott in the small town of gopher prairie, minnesota, as. Jun 24, 2006 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. The books power derives from the careful rendering of local speech, customs, and social amenities. If you think the weirdness and extremism of the tea party is a contemporary phenomenon, follow sinclair lewis to the snappy little berg of gopher prairie, minnesota. 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. The heritage press edition of main street is notable, not simply because of the fame of the illustrator. This book is available for free download in a number of formats including epub, pdf, azw, mobi and more.
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. 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. She marries will kennicott, a doctor, who is a smalltown boy at. 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. Jane smiley continues her series on the novel with a look at sinclair lewiss main street, about the claustrophobia of smalltown life in. Carol milford is a liberal, freespirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of minneapolis. Main street is a novel by sinclair lewis that was first published in 1920. Its not the most obviously exciting read, but it finds danger, excitement and drama hidden in the every day. Sinclair lewiss main street minnesota digital library.
Corners have been bumped, top and bottom of spine shows some wear. Consequently the narrative presents a series of episodes rather than a tightly constructed plot. Main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920. Feb 22, 2018 this classic by sinclair lewis shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire. 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. Main street is an satirical novel by nobel prize winning author sinclair lewis. Floyd dell reports in homecoming that lewis was said to have cut out from his main street, on the advice of cabell, the one sensible character in the book, through whom his own constructive. 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. Sinclair lewiss main street is a long meditation on this peculiarly american combination of freedom and rigidity.
Will kennicott, to leave the city life to which she is accustomed. But it was not until his sixth novel, main street, that he won recognition as an important american novelist. Carol milford is a liberal, freespirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of saint paul, minnesota. An awkward youth, lewis did not have a very happy childhood. Lewis trenchant social commantary is present in both. In writing main street, sinclair lewis paid little attention to formal plot development. He also makes a point of saying that the story of gopher prairie could be the same for any small town in america. Main street is the novel that established sinclair lewis literary reputation and was his first commercial success. The romantic adventures of a gentle man, appeared in 1914, followed by the trail of the hawk. About main street book summaries, test preparation. Main street, sinclair lewis main street is a satirical novel written by sinclair lewis, and published in 1920.
With an introduction by lewis written for the 1937 edition, 367 pp, with a sewn binding. Sinclair lewis s novel main street is a scathing indictment of life in smalltown america during the early years of the 20th century. The genre of main street can make for interesting discussion. 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. They relocate to his hometown of gopher prairie, minnesota, where she is taken aback by the little towns backward ways and ugly appearance. In 1930 lewis would be the first american to receive the nobel prize for literature. Highly acclaimed upon publication, main street remains a recognized american class. 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. Jane smiley on sinclair lewiss main street books the. We find a book about the odd, contradictory towns that evolved in america, trying to express freedom and fundamentalism at the same time.
In the 1920s, a large component of americas middle class sought a more liberal identity. See a complete list of the characters in main street and indepth analyses of carol kennicott and dr. Pastores list, a guide to films based on works of sinclair lewis, which appears in the sinclair lewis society newsletter spring 1998. Reflecting his own unhappy childhood in sauk centre, minnesota, lewiss sixth novel attacked the conformity and dullness he saw in midwestern village life. The power of the book derives from lewis careful rendering of local speech, customs, and social amenities.
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. This shopping feature will continue to load items when the enter key is pressed. Harry sinclair lewis was born february 7, 1885, in the small minnesota town of sauk centre, which would ultimately provide the model for the town of gopher prairie in main street. The edition, originally released by lec in 1937, was honored by the american institute of graphic arts for outstanding design. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use. This is a list of film versions of sinclair lewis s novels, adapted from stephen r. Summary read a plot overview of the entire book or a chapter by chapter summary and analysis. The first of sinclair lewiss great successes, main street shattered the sentimental american myth of happy smalltown life with its satire of narrowminded provincialism.