I learned a very important lesson today. That I had the completely wrong idea about what “American Literature” is. Boy do I feel foolish.
I met a girl today and we got to talking because I was reading Conn Iggulden’s ‘Wolf of the Plains.’ She inquired into what I was reading and I told her it was a historical fiction about Ghengis Khan. To that she said “Oh I love reading books on history but not world stuff, I like the American stuff.”
To this, I thought she meant like John Steinbeck or Mark Twain or what my understanding of Historical American Literature.
…I was wrong.
So I explained my literary choice by saying “Well look at ‘The Great American Novel’ it was based on the Gilgamesh Epic, or the Scarlet Letters undertones of Greek Tragedies.”
She responded with silence. I thought she was deeply pondering what I was saying, but in turn responded with:
“…Yeah I mean like the ‘Da Vinci Code’ and ‘Twilight’ and stuff.”
Apparently I have no understanding of contemporary American Literature. Even if ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was set in France. Whatever.
After much pondering I remembered that Jasper was in the Civil War. I guess it is American History.
Until Next Time I Remain… Reading.