What was the 'first American novel'? On this Independence Day, a look at what it started
Critics have long debated which books qualify as a ‘Great American Novel
By Hillel Italie
Published - Jul 03, 2024, 12:12 AM ET
Last Updated - Jul 03, 2024, 12:12 AM EDT
NEW YORK (AP) — In the winter of 1789, around the time George Washington was elected the country's first president, a Boston-based printer quietly launched another American institution.
Around 100 pages long, Brown's narrative tells of two young New Englanders whose love affair abruptly and tragically ends when they learn a shocking secret that makes their relationship unbearable. The dedication page, addressed to the “Young Ladies of United Columbia” (the United States), promised an exposé of “the Fatal consequences of Seduction” and a prescription for the "Economy of Human Life."
Outside of Boston society, though, few would have known or cared whether “The Power of Sympathy” marked any kind of literary milestone.
