Sinclair Lewis

Babbitt, first published in 1922, is a novel by Sinclair Lewis. Largely a satire of American culture, society, and behavior, it critiques the vacuity of middle-class American life and its pressure toward conformity. An immediate and controversial bestseller, Babbitt was influential in the decision to award Lewis the Nobel Prize in literature in 1930. The word "Babbitt" entered the English language as a "person and especially a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards".

Main Street is an satirical novel by Nobel Prize winning author Sinclair Lewis.Carol Milford is a liberal, free-spirited young woman, reared in the metropolis of Saint Paul, Minnesota. She marries Will Kennicott, a doctor, who is a small-town boy at heart.When they marry, Will convinces her to live in his home-town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Carol is appalled at the backwardness of Gopher Prairie. But her disdain for the town's physical ugliness and smug conservatism compels her to reform it.She speaks with its members about progressive changes, joins women's clubs, distributes literature, and holds parties to liven up Gopher Prairie's inhabitants. Despite her friendly but ineffective efforts, she is constantly derided by the leading cliques.She finds comfort and companionship outside her social class. These companions are taken from her one by one.In her unhappiness, Carol leaves her husband and moves for a time to Washington, D.C., but she eventually returns. Nevertheless, Carol does not feel defeated: I do not admit that Main Street is as beautiful as it should be I do not admit that Gopher Prairie is greater or more generous than Europe I do not admit that dish-washing is enough to satisfy all women I may not have fought the good fight, but I have kept the faith. (Chapter 39)Main Street was initially awarded the 1921 Pulitzer Prize for literature, but was rejected by the Board of Trustees, who overturned the jury's decision. The prize went, instead, to Edith Wharton for The Age of Innocence. In 1926 Lewis refused the Pulitzer when he was awarded it for Arrowsmith.In 1930, Lewis was the first American ever awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. While a Nobel Prize is awarded to the author not the work, and itself does not cite a particular work for which he was chosen, Main Street was Lewis' best-known work and enormously popular at the time. In the Nobel committee's presentation speech, both Main Street and Arrowsmith were cited. The prize was awarded "...for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters."

Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott is a novel written by American author Sinclair Lewis. The book tells the story of a young woman named Carol Kennicott, who moves from the city to a small town in Minnesota with her husband, Dr. Will Kennicott. The novel explores the clash between Carol's progressive ideas and the conservative values of the town's residents. As Carol tries to improve the town's culture and society, she faces resistance from the locals who are unwilling to change their ways. The novel also delves into Carol's own struggles with her identity and her place in society as a woman. Throughout the book, Lewis provides a satirical commentary on small-town life in America during the early 20th century. He highlights the narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy of the townspeople, as well as the challenges faced by those who try to challenge the status quo. Overall, Main Street: The Story of Carol Kennicott is a thought-provoking novel that explores themes of conformity, individualism, and societal change. It remains a classic of American literature and a must-read for anyone interested in the history and culture of small-town America.This Is A New Release Of The Original 1920 Edition.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

Since the 1922 publication of "Babbitt," its eponymous antihero a prosperous real estate broker and relentless social climber inhabiting a Midwestern town called Zenith has become a symbol of stultifying values and middle-class hypocrisy. At once a conformist and a rebel, George F. Babbitt represents an ordinary man whose life turns upside down during one of the most profound sea changes in American cultural history: the mechanization and hucksterism of the Roaring Twenties. Babbitt, his family, and his social circle are the very essence of the American Dream in all its glory and emptiness, and their story is a stirring portrait of a way of life in profound flux. "Babbitt" remains one of Sinclair Lewis s most widely read novels. Contemptible and touching, frivolous and tragic, Babbitt is a rich, complex character whose legacy carries an eerie resonance to this day. Includes a new afterword by Azar NafisiIntroduction by Sally E. Parry"

""Cheap and Contented Labor: The Picture of a Southern Mill Town in 1929"" is a non-fiction book written by the famous American author, Sinclair Lewis. The book provides a detailed and vivid description of life in a small mill town in the American South during the late 1920s.Lewis takes the reader on a journey through the town, exploring its history, culture, and economy. He delves into the lives of the workers in the town's textile mills, describing their working conditions, wages, and daily struggles. He also examines the town's social structure, including the relationships between the mill owners and the workers, as well as the racial and class divides that existed in the community.Throughout the book, Lewis provides a critical analysis of the economic and social systems that dominated the town, highlighting the exploitation of workers by mill owners and the government's failure to provide adequate support for those in need. He also explores the impact of the Great Depression on the town and its residents.Overall, ""Cheap and Contented Labor"" is a powerful and insightful portrayal of life in a Southern mill town during a time of great change and upheaval in American history. It sheds light on the struggles and hardships faced by working-class Americans and provides a valuable perspective on the economic and social forces that shaped their lives.""This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

This book is a novel of husbands and wives, being a meditation on marriage. It was written late in the career of Sinclair Lewis, and explores themes of love, marriage, heartache, trust, and redemption in a small Minnesota town. Along with the courtship and marriage of the main characters, Lewis presents mini-portraits of other couples in the community: some delightful, others wildly dysfunctional and destructive. Harry Sinclair Lewis (1885 - 1951) was an American novelist, playwright, and short-story writer. In 1930 he became the first author from the United States to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which he was awarded "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." We are republishing this antiquarian book now complete with a new prefatory biography of the author.