While “Americana” is most commonly known as a musical genre, its reach extends far beyond bluegrass music. It is a movement, the impact of which can be found in myriad types of art. Let’s take a dive into Americana, what it is, and what it looks like in literature.
How can we define Americana?
“Americana” is, in the broadest sense, anything associated with the United States or its history, folklore, culture, geography, and heritage. Its definition, naturally, can change depending on historical context, national identity, and nostalgia.
“Americana” can manifest in both material artifacts (think old-school Coca-Cola posters or even contemporary advertising symbols like the Coca-Cola + Marvel collaboration that was just released) and in works of art, including music, literature, and film.
More specifically, Americana in literature is any written work that treats ideas and storylines commonly associated with American identity. As you can imagine, that’s a pretty broad category, so let’s take a look at some more specific aspects of Americana literature.
Cool. So what are the common themes?
As you can imagine, there are numerous themes common in Americana literature. Perhaps one of the most enduring is the “rags-to-riches” story, emblematic of The American Dream. Writer Horatio Alger, who published extensively in the nineteenth century, is perhaps the most famous writer in this category, having written countless young adult novels about impoverished boys who rise to financial security and material comfort.
Other common themes in Americana literature include ideas like identity, memory, and independence.
Novels that focus on the idea of identity include works like Jeffrey Eugenides’s 2002 Pulitzer-Prize-winning epic Middlesex and Brit Bennett’s historical fiction masterpiece The Vanishing Half.
Memory, on the other hand, is an overarching theme in books like The Sound And The Fury by William Faulkner or Lois Lowry’s famous young-adult dystopian novel The Giver. Finally, the idea of independence in Americana literature is exemplified by novels like The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead and Ray Bradbury’s 1953 book Fahrenheit 451.
All that being said, there are dozens of other common themes in Americana literature. It’s a genre as diverse as the country from which it comes.
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Are there any examples of recurring storylines or motifs?
In a nutshell: yes! While the storylines and motifs in Americana are as varied as the themes and ideas, there are some common threads running throughout classic Americana works. Some of the most common storylines in Americana literature include:
- Coming of age
- Undertaking a journey or quest
- The struggle for justice
Coming-of-age stories can be found across cultures and genres, and are certainly not unique to Americana. What is compelling, however, is how often coming-of-age stories are used as metaphors to draw parallels with the development of modern America.
You can find examples of this in Mark Twain’s famous novel The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, which uses the maturation of protagonist Huck Finn to relate greater hopes for the history of the United States and its relationship with slavery and racism.
The journey or quest narrative is another common storyline in Americana literature. Again, it’s a motif that can be found in many genres—the picaresque novel, a common example of journey narratives, actually originated in Spain! But the quest novel as it exists in Americana is often used as a tool to convey the diversity of America’s cultures, landscapes, and people.
One of the most famous instances of this is Jack Kerouac’s dazzling, dizzying novel On The Road. Although it’s told from a rather sheltered and singular perspective, beneath the party-boy narrative lies a deeper perspective on race, language, and class differences as he meets people across the United States.
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Finally, the struggle for justice is a frequent motif in Americana. This makes sense: America, the land of “justice for all,” has struggled since its conception with ideas of morality and fairness. This tension is central to the American experience and is portrayed most movingly in works like Richard Wright’s Native Son and, more recently, Angie Thomas’s young-adult novel The Hate U Give.
What are some key examples of Americana literature?
Some of the most famous examples of Americana literature are works like To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee and The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger. Certain writers are also considered figureheads of Americana, such as John Steinbeck, Cormac McCarthy, and Toni Morrison.
In terms of more contemporary writers, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jonathan Franzen are two authors whose work is particularly invested in Americana. (Adichie’s 2013 novel is even titled Americanah.)
If you’re a movie fan and enjoy learning about the inner workings of publishing, consider checking out Cord Jefferson’s Oscar-winning film American Fiction, which explicitly explores the idea of Americana literature, who it’s for, and who’s allowed to create it.
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Where should I start with Americana literature?
Chances are you’ve probably already read some Americana literature, as it’s one of the most famous and influential genres of literature around. If you’re interested in reading more, be sure to check out our various articles on the top Americana authors and books. Because Americana is such a vast genre, you’re certain to find the perfect book for your next read.
There you have it. Now that you’ve brushed up on Americana, be sure to check out our recent conversation about the defining traits of Americana in literature to learn more!
