The Power Line guys posted a Memorial Day weekend list
of the 21 best American novels. The list is mostly solid, except
for a classic omission: John Steinbeck. English departments usually
omit his works from their syllabi, for reasons that elude me
(though I am told many English profs can’t stand his
moralizing).
Hinderaker writes that they ignored “politics and sociology” in
compiling the list, but when a friend suggests Grapes of Wrath, he replies, “No socialist realism for
us, thank you!” So I guess politics were not ignored? Either
Grapes or East of
Eden deserve a place on any list of best American
novels.