The Routledge Introduction to the American Novel provides a comprehensive and engaging guide to this cornerstone literary genre, reframing our understanding of the American novel and its evolving traditions. This volume aims to engage productive classroom discussion, including: - What differentiates the American novel from its European predecessors and traditions from other parts of the world? - How have the related myths of the American Dream and the Great American Novel affected understandings of the tradition over time? - How do American novels by or about women, racial and ethnic minorities, immigrants, and members of lower social classes challenge the American cultural monomyth? - How do experimental novels and eco-conscious novels alter the American novel tradition? Rethinking historical trends and debates surrounding the American novel, this text delivers a persuasive case for why it's important to reevaluate the American novelistic tradition. The Routledge Introduction to the American Novel offers a much-needed update to the history and future of this literary form.