PBS: Novel Reflections on the American Dream

PBS is launching a new series on the American Novel, with the requisite website to go with it.

How has the American Novel evolved and in what ways does it reflect an experience that is uniquely American? This site offers a comprehensive exploration of 200 years of the American novel, including in-depth information on more than 50 American novels and authors, along with the literary movements they inspired.

NOVEL REFLECTIONS ON THE AMERICAN DREAM explores the characters, plots, and themes of seven novels that deal with wealth, poverty, and the nature of success and failure in America. In an exploration that moves from the turn of the 20th century into progressively more contemporary surroundings, passages from each book are dramatized through haunting still photography that is inventively animated and coupled with original and archival footage.

The site includes some nice features, including a literary timeline, elements of the novel, and lists of best novels. This should be an excellent series for those of us who love literature.

Check times for your area.

Tags: PBS, NOVEL REFLECTIONS ON THE AMERICAN DREAM, American novel, fiction, culture