Series Books

The series theme Tragedy and Loss in Four American Novels explores four novels that center on experiences of disappointment, missed opportunity and ill-fated decisions seen against the backdrop of changing American culture. Each session centers on a book selected by Ryan Swihart, a graduate student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner 

The series opens with a discussion of Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning story of the demands and challenges of the American West during the last part of the 19th century.

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser 

A conversation about An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser, a classic tale of the American Dream gone horribly wrong.

O Lost by Thomas Wolfe

A discussion of Thomas Wolfe’s novel O Lost, the original version of the famous Look Homeward Angel, a powerful coming-of-age story.

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers 

The series concludes with a conversation about The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Carson McCullers’ examination of a small Southern town through the eyes of a young girl.

This series is sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and presented in collaboration with Monroe Community College.

Reading Between the Lines for Adults was developed in partnership with The Center for the Humanities at the Graduate Center of the City University Of New York.

Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of either the Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.