Huckleberry Finn... The Greatest American Novel?

[Jerk Shapiro]

I've read Huck Finn. Just to let you know. And there is no doubt, that this IS the greatest American book ever written. In my mind anyway. It has everything a book could. Adventure, comedy, love, everything you need.

So yes, I do think that Huckleberry Finn is the greatest American novel.

What'dyou think?

[Reigh Kaufman]

I did American Literature as a module (i.e a skive to get easy marks for my degree) and, whilst there is certainly a good case for the novel, to my mind the greatest achievement in American literature is undoubtedly To Kill A Mockingbird. That's not to say that Twain is not a magnificent writer or to denigrate what you are saying - it is a fine novel - but nothing has come close (not even my own favourite book, The Virgin Suicides) to the sheer and utter perfection of Harper Lee's opus.

[jbuck_919]

It's so easy to say greatest when one has no exposure to the alternatives. I suppose I also think that Huck Finn is the greatest, but my favorite, and many people would find it hard to stomach, is Moby Dick. It is nothing like the films that have been made of it. It is a strange, haunting allegory where the writing style is in constant counterpoint with the action. But like Huck Finn, it is not a comfy afternoon read.