| Title | : | Main Street / Babbitt |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0940450615 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780940450615 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 898 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1992 |
Main Street (1920), Lewis's first triumph, was a phenomenal event in American publishing and cultural history. Lewis's idealistic, imaginative heroine, Carol Kennicott, longs "to get [her] hands on one of those prairie towns and make it beautiful," but when her doctor husband brings her to Gopher Prairie, she finds that the romance of the American frontier has dwindled to the drab reality of the American Middle West. Carol first struggles against and then flees the social tyrannies and cultural emptiness of Gopher Prairie, only to submit at last to the conventions of village life. The great romantic satire of its decade, Main Street is a wry, sad, funny account of a woman who attempts to challenge the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness of her community.
"I know of no American novel that more accurately presents the real America," wrote H.L. Mencken when Babbitt appeared in 1922. "As an old professor of Babbittry I welcome him as an almost perfect specimen. Every American city swarms with his brothers. He is America incarnate, exuberant and exquisite."
In the character of George F. Babbitt, the boisterous, vulgar, worried, gadget-loving real estate man from Zenith, Lewis fashioned a new and enduring figure in American literature—the total conformist. Babbitt is a "joiner," who thinks and feels with the crowd. Lewis surrounds him with a gallery of familiar American types—small businessman, Rotarians, Elks, boosters, supporters of evangelical Christianity. In biting satirical scenes of club lunches, after-dinner speeches, trade association conventions, fishing trips and Sunday School committees, Lewis reproduces the noisy restlessness of American commercial culture.
In 1930 Sinclair Lewis was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, largely for his achievement in Babbitt. These early novels not only define a crucial period in American history—from America's "coming of age" just before World War I to the dizzying boom of the twenties—they also continue to astonish us with essential truths about the country we live in today.
Main Street / Babbitt Reviews
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The setting of
Main Streetthis novel took place almost a hundred years ago. It is "Gopher Prairie,” a small town with all of the expected characteristics of such a place. Carol, an attractive, intelligent and well educated young woman, who works in a St. Paul library, falls in love and marries Dr. Will Kennicott, and follows him to his desolate, depressing and stagnant home town.
Carol's goal when she settles in this town is to enhance the atmosphere with improvements in architecture, educating the residents and stimulating public interests in achieving these ends and informing all of political knowledge. As she becomes better acquainted with the town's denizens, she ends up feeling trapped among people for whom she has no respect or common interests. Attempts to change the town and herself fails.
Lewis portrays these Midwesterners as narrow-minded, spiteful, judgemental and suspicious. They are people who fear anything new, whether it's a triviality like a novel thought, stylish clothes or "communism", actually a workers' union. The writing is clear and frequently thought provoking. It often seems possible to view each character as a personality who is revealed by actions or statements . The scenery and the environment vividly appear to the imagination.
Main Street's themes are ever-abiding. It presents an historical perspective of America, with concerns which still resonate today. Carol's attempts to educate the public, instill new interests and provide a broader lifestyle for women are clearly addressed throughout. Although we have made great strides for women, we still seek items like equal pay and equal roles in the marketplace. Religious differences were not accepted in this small town, but although this may not be true in many larger cities today, we still view suspicions and shunning of those who do not adhere to the general consensus.
Despite the fact that I enjoyed this lengthy work of Sinclair Lewis, I felt that it was overly long and would find my interest waning. Much could have been pared down in his writing. Although this book, written in 1920, exhibited many vivid historical pictures, the language was often “dated” and tended to be repetitious at times. For these reasons, I am having difficulty in rating it and will probably revisit my assessment. -
Main Street by Sinclair Lewis
10 out of 10, a chef d’oeuvre
Sinclair Lewis is one of my favorite writers and I was mesmerized by this work and the other masterpieces that I have read by the same author:
- Arrowsmith, Babbitt and Elmer Gantry
Carol Milford is the name of the heroine in the first part of the novel and she becomes Carol Kennicott after she marries.
And this is a protagonist that I can identify with, both for a period of my life of three years, when I lived in a small town much like Gopher Prairie and had to suffer at the hands of the indigenous population, and now, when, for the last twelve years I have been placed among a group of barbarous individuals that are similar to some of the inhabitants of the home town of the author, which inspires the fictional GP in the novel
Carol Milford is very open minded, progressive, creative and enthusiastic when she marries Doctor Will Kennicott.
And she will remain more or less determined to pursue her ideals and change as much as she can Main Street.
But the reality of life after marriage, after meeting a community that, if not outright reactionary, proves at least conservative, is hard to cope with.
Instead of being dragged down and letting herself become a housemaid, the protagonist tries to elevate the locals.
But they are not just backward, at some moments they prove to be really mean and despicable in their acts.
I refer to the moment when a teacher is expelled from the wonderful Gopher Prairie, innocent as she is.
Well, of course, in the eyes of some pretentious, arrogant, uptight locals, the woman was sent by Satan.
But when she accepted to go out for a dance with the Weinstein of the town, she did not know what to expect.
The man took whiskey and pressed her to drink- she only took the bottle to her lips without drinking- stole some alcohol, harassed his victim and once home, when his horrible mother attacked the girl, he lied and sustained he is the innocent casualty.
But this is not a case where only this family proves to be outrageous, for, after the mother complains to the school board, they decide to punish the teacher even more, instead of taking a principled position and act according to what the town knew, which is that the man was a scoundrel and liar, they sent the victim away!!
Relatives of Will Kennicott move to the small town and the aunt thinks it is great to live in such a small place, where everyone knows what the others do and therefore, unlike in big cities, sinners cannot get away with their predicaments.
The relationship between Carol and her husband is complicated and, even if he loves her, the feelings of the woman are unclear to her for some time and the spouse becomes repugnant during different periods.
If he seemed bold and encouraged her to come to his small town marry him and change the community when they were in the first phase of their relationship, later on, his demeanor looked out of date and he showed a lack of interest for culture, reading books and helping his spouse raise the level of their social circle.
On the other hand, he is a complex, interesting character and his application to the work he does can be called a calling, his position as the only doctor available for a large area, during a period of World War I, saved many lives.
Will Kennicott can be compared with Doctor Bovary, for he is limited when compared with his wife and rather dull, responsible in large part for the interest she shows to Erik Valborg, a young man who dreams of being a Karl Lagerfeld…well, before the latter was born.
When Erik is first introduced, I thought he is a gay character, with his love for clothes and apparent sensitivity and cultural inclinations.
He falls in love with Carol and she becomes a sort of mentor for him and then, for a time she thinks she is in love with the younger man.
Will interferes just in time, proving that he has a good insight and he explains to his wife the psychology of her involvement.
Furthermore, he depicts a future in which Carol would run away with Erik, live with him in a destitute shop, in a room at a back, with three children and a daily routine of washing, pressing the clothes that Erik would sell, care for the kids and husband, who would come in late from the shop, fall on the bed, after recriminating Carol, whom he will blame for the squalor and wretchedness of this terrible life.
Carol is convinced and terrified by this image and then travels to California with her husband and enjoys a departure from Gopher Prairie and its monsters.
She even moves to Washington for a period, taking only her son Hugh with her, leaving the doctor in his small town.
A masterpiece written by a genius who is the first American novelist to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature! -
Having Sinclair Lewis's two best-known novels in one volume is handy. For those who like to collect hardbound books, this may be the way to go. Note that the books in the subscription plan are not quite as durable as the more expensive ones from bookstores or online retailers.
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Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis
Another version of this note and thoughts on other books are available at:
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https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... and
http://realini.blogspot.ro/
It is no wonder that Babbitt is a mesmerizing, enchanting work.
Sinclair Lewis is a winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
And I am happy to have read other masterpieces, by the same genius:
- Arrowsmith, Main Street and Elmer Gantry
And I found the main character , George Babbitt as intriguing, complex, charming, pugnacious, human, controversial at times as Elmer Gantry and Arrowsmith.
The book seemed at times to verge on comedy and it is really funny in many moments, but we also have tragedies taking place.
Paul, George Babbitt's friend shots his wife, to give just one example.
There are conflicts between Babbitt and various other personages
From his children to competitors, from his wife to a lover, almost everyone has moments of tension with the protagonist.
Notwithstanding that, George Babbitt is one of the characters that I sympathize and identity with.
He has a midlife crisis and although I like to think I am still young, I understand that and feel compassion.
His views change and I faced a serious challenge myself from a great book:
Happiness- Lessons From A New Science by Richard Layard.
He pleads a strong case for higher taxes and even if I am a convinced supporter of the right, with a loathing for communists and any left wing exaggerating, I feel Richard Layard is right.
So I again feel supportive when the conservative Babbitt becomes a liberal.
Well, more or less...
George Babbitt is a pillar of the business community of Zenith.
He is an acclaimed orator, a solid friend and a defender of values.
And yet, when the members of the newly created League of Citizens for the Right Values press him to join, Babbitt refuses.
At least for a while.
When he sees that business is bad as a result of his refusal, he has to throw in the towel.
There are quite a few moments when the integrity, the moral profile of the hero is not that of a role model.
In some ways, the idiosyncrasies and shortcomings of the main character make him more endearing.
But he has some major failures and flaws.
He has a heated argument and then he fires an employee that was indeed dishonest and unethical.
Babbitt faces blackmail, but alas, the incriminating evidence is also pointing towards a jail sentence for both the realtor and his employees if the truth comes out.
Babbitt and his business partner in one particular deal have not just double crossed, but triple crossed other participants in the transaction.
And finally, Babbitt is cheating on his wife and gets involved with a provocative group.
"Medicine, adjectival and Real Horror Show" this is how characters in other masterpieces would call this great book. -
Although Sinclair Lewis had at least four published novels before ]Main Street, this and the immediately following Babbit (which I read for a book discussion a decade ago) were his first important works. Both are satirical descriptions of American small town life in the second decade of the twentieth century; but despite the humorous exaggeration they are an accurate depiction -- and not much has changed. While the Gopher Prairies have become medium-sized cities with strip malls and shopping centers, the attitudes are pretty much as Lewis depicted them almost a century ago: the complacency, the militant anti-intellectualism, the mindlessly strident conservatism, religion as a substitute for actual thought; the triviality of conversation, the back-biting gossip, the petty dishonesty, the boredom . . . Gopher Prairie, Minnesota is more or less Lehi, Utah or Skowhegan, Maine or even the white sections of San Antonio, Texas, as I experienced them.
Main Street is shown through the eyes of Carol Kennicott, a somewhat more intelligent, educated and socially conscious Emma Bovary, who like Flaubert's heroine tries to live an aesthetic life in decidedly unaesthetic surroundings -- although her interests are largely cultural and political rather than romantic, and I think she is a more sympathetic character. Her husband, Dr. Kennicott, like M. Bovary, is a small town doctor who loves his wife but has no understanding of her basic desires. The minor characters are mostly well characterized as well; the poor farmers are drawn much more sympathetically than the townspeople. I could relate to Carol's struggles, the excitement at meeting people who initially seemed to be interested in the same things she was, the grasping at straws and ultimate disillusionment when she realizes that they are basically limited and superficial, only willing to go so far within the cultural limits of the town mentality.
Near the end, Lewis introduces the theme of "boosterism" which becomes the main emphasis of Babbit; the latter novel is shown through the eyes of a "booster" rather than a rebel, although even he has his moment of rebellion. Both novels are written well, occasionally funny but ultimately depressing. -
I read only Main Street as one of the Top 100 Novels listed by The Modern Library.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Main Street and found it difficult to set the book down. This surprised me, because this novel (as the jacket summarizes) is primarily about a young housewife experiencing life in a rural town in Minnesota (not fair from Minneapolis / St. Paul) in the early 20th century. What made this book so captivating to me is its description of life on "Main Street, USA" in a small town in the 1920s-1930s. The reader is completely immersed into the setting and characters, to the point that there is a fair amount of outmoded slang that I had to look up on Wikipedia to see what it meant. One of the themes of the novel is a woman's place in American society in the 1920s-1930s. Carol Kennicott, the protagonist in the novel, is an intelligent and capable young woman who marries a country doctor after a VERY brief period of courting at the outset of the novel. The rest of the novel is about Carol striving to find intrinsic satisfaction and purpose in her life in the new setting of Gopher Prairie, MN. Carol challenges societal and cultural norms throughout her struggle to find meaning and purpose in her life.
Sinclair Lewis describes the characters in such a way that I am anxious to see what happens to them next, and they are each quite unique in their descriptions, almost like caricatures. I would liken this book to 'Winesburg, Ohio' or 'The Magnificent Ambersons' in that there are so many different characters interacting with each other in ways essential to the plot, and the culture and society of the town that is already set in motion when our protagonist enters is like a powerful, driving force that cannot be stopped or easily redirected, respectively.
After reading this book, I read the biography and timeline at the end about the author - Sinclair Lewis. I found Sinclair to be a VERY interesting person, and I plan to come back and read Babbitt, which I have since seen referenced as a cultural touchstone to America and the middle class in the start of the 20th century. I especially found it interesting that Sinclair had spoken with Eugene V. Debs on more than one occasion; a Socialist who lived in my hometown of Terre Haute, Indiana. Also, a LOT of Lewis' novels and short stories were adapted into plays and movies. I am anxious to see how many of the movies still survive.
'Main Street' increased my interest in American Literature, and I was intrigued by how 'Main Street' seems similar to novels written by other American authors such as Theodore Dreiser, Booth Tarkington, Sherwood Anderson, etc. The 1920s and 1930s are also FASCINATING times in American history! -
Oof. Okay, the rating is for the writing, the absolute brilliant writing, the scathing comments here and there, the craft itself. Sinclair Lewis has written an excellent book in Main Street.
All that said, I hated it. I hated it because it reminded me of the hateful gossiping hens I had to put up with in my early 20s, and the horrible church people who were so self-righteous. I hated it because I understood Carol all too well -- her desire for culture and art and beauty and hoping to find an intelligent person or two who understood her, and wanting something more than day after day being stuck in a dull, mundane place surrounded by dull, mundane people who have no real ambition other than to tear people down and meddle in other people's business. I hated it because it reminded me that people will never change. He has beautifully summed it all up and I put the book down night after night, feeling absolutely drained.
Not since Anna Karenina have I been so glad to be done reading a book. Again, don't get me wrong, it's beautifully written -- as was Anna Karenina, of course. I just realize about myself I can only take so much reality in my fiction and I've had such a dose now that I'm ready to go find a nice fluffy cozy mystery or something to wash it down. -
I read this because it was mentioned in another book in relation to Edith Wharton's work. So having never read anything by him, I decided to try it. Published almost 100 years ago, it feels weirdly modern at times. Some of the slang and references are dated, of course, but the issues Lewis writes about are still with us today - the prejudices of small-minded people, the restrictions that are placed upon us by the society we live in, the effects of ignorance, the frustrations of people not allowed to do meaningful work.
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This story was such a reminder of having grown up in the Midwest. I grew up in Illinois , it was not difficult to see all the gossipy, nosy, organized group speak & rejection of anything new. What a way to travel back in time. I felt as if I’d moved back to the Midwest reading this. The writing is sharp, poignant, & piercing. I loved the nostalgia of it, but think I’ll be remaining in Los Angeles.
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Mr Sinclair has no respect for his characters or their place, and contempt drips from his pen.
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Carol was discovering that the one thing that can be more disconcerting than intelligent hatred is demanding love.
She supposed that she was being gracefully dull and standardized in the Smails' presence, but they scented the heretic, and with forward-stooping delight they sat and tried to drag out her ludicrous concepts for their amusement. They were like the Sunday-afternoon mob staring at monkeys in the Zoo, poking fingers and making faces and giggling at the resentment of the more dignified race.
With a loose-lipped, superior, village smile Uncle Whittier hinted, "What's this I hear about your thinking Gopher Prairie ought to be all tore down and rebuilt, Carrie? I don't know where folks get these new-fangled ideas. Lots of farmers in Dakota getting 'em these days. About co-operation. Think they can run stores better 'n storekeepers! Huh!"
"Whit and I didn't need no co-operation as long as we was farming!" triumphed Aunt Bessie. "Carrie, tell your old auntie now: don't you ever go to church on Sunday? You do go sometimes? But you ought to go every Sunday! When you're as old as I am, you'll learn that no matter how smart folks think they are, God knows a whole lot more than they do, and then you'll realize and be glad to go and listen to your pastor!"
In the manner of one who has just beheld a two-headed calf they repeated that they had "never heard such funny ideas!" They were staggered to learn that a real tangible person, living in Minnesota, and married to their own flesh-and-blood relation, could apparently believe that divorce may not always be immoral; that illegitimate children do not bear any special and guaranteed form of curse; that there are ethical authorities outside of the Hebrew Bible; that men have drunk wine yet not died in the gutter; that the capitalistic system of distribution and the Baptist wedding-ceremony were not known in the Garden of Eden; that mushrooms are as edible as corn-beef hash; that the word "dude" is no longer frequently used; that there are Ministers of the Gospel who accept evolution; that some persons of apparent intelligence and business ability do not always vote the Republican ticket straight; that it is not a universal custom to wear scratchy flannels next the skin in winter; that a violin is not inherently more immoral than a chapel organ; that some poets do not have long hair; and that Jews are not always pedlers or pantsmakers. -
Sinclair Lewis is developing into one of my favorite authors. His descriptions of people, places and events are wonderful, original, concise - each word packs a punch. So far, through several chapters, George Babbitt has awakened, dressed, eaten breakfast with his family, driven to his office, and closed a deal. And we haven't yet gotten to lunch! One might say that nothing has really 'happened' but it is hard to put the book down and I'm eagerly anticipating our next reading session.
Finished "Babbitt" with regret. George is growing up and it would be interesting to see how he goes on. (Toward the end of the book, in one of his liberal moods, George even said that it was possible that his ancestors had once been immigrants.) As much as anything else, this is a book about mid-life crisis, a period as gut-wrenching as adolescence. I'm glad I did not read this in high school. As a teenager I could not have related to George Babbitt as I can now in very late middle age. Adolescence to adulthood, midlife crisis to full middle-age, is there a term for the passage from middle age to being truly old?
Scott Walker would be almost everyone's favorite son in Winnemac. One cannot help but see that the prejudices, yes and the strengths too, of the heartland have not changed in the last 90 years. When and how did the shift from Republican as liberal and progressive to Republican as capitalist and fundamentalist take place? I'm thinking WWI must have had a great impact because the shift had definitely taken place by the time of Arrowsmith and Babbitt. Also urbanization and the European immigrations of the late 1800s/early 1900s would have fed into the middle class xenophobia and horror of socialism.
Wonderful book. -
Although this volume includes both Main Street and Babbitt, I've only read Main Street so far. Main Street is a classic account of a high-spirited young woman (Carol) from the Twin Cities who winds up marrying a rural physician and moving back to his hometown of Gopher Prairie with him. The book is a little uneven and could have been tightened up here and there, but at its heart it is about Carol's struggle to overcome, and ultimately to come to terms with, what she views as the small-mindedness and mediocrity of her fellow citizens (including her husband). What for me elevates this book to its status as a classic is its ambiguity: despite the obvious flaws and shortcomings of her fellow citizens, you're never really sure that Carol is right to condemn them--and in the end, neither is she.
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I've finally gotten around to reading Sinclair Lewis's Babbitt. It's an interesting read. Unlike the scathing Elmer Gantry and terrifying It Can't Happen Here, Babbitt shows Lewis's humorous--as opposed to sarcastic--side. We can laugh with Geo. F. Babbitt, and empathize with his plight, rather than constantly laughing at him and his foibles. He is the ultimate middle-class conformist, but when his closest friend undergoes a crisis, the middle-aged Babbitt acts out and has a taste of rebellion. While he eventually comes back to the fold, he holds out some hope that his son Ted will be able to live his life as he wishes. Highly recommended.
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Both novels contained in this book are terrific. Midwest America in the early 20th Century. Its prejudices, desires, aspirations are chronicled in each work. We tend to be nostalgic for these times, but when you read Lewis, you realize that we're still pretty much the same. Great works by one of my favorite authors.
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Started out great, but became bogged down with too many details (this is regarding Main Street only). For a story set in a small town, there are too many prominent characters. Some serious editing would have saved this. I didn't bother to read Babbitt. I'm not going to waste time finishing a book that no longer captures my attention.
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Lyrical prose: the life it saves could be your own.
This particular bound version (I was reading Babbitt on my iPhone, via Stanza-when-it-didn't-crash-which-it-pretty-much-always-did) has the most perfect font and crispiest most rugged-translucent paper of the three I tried out, today. -
LOVED Main Street. One of the few books to get me excited in a while. Babbitt also great, but not so devastating.
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Forget Huckleberry Finn--Main Street is the great American novel.
