A novel regarded as being of superior merit and encapsulating American values and experiences or evoking the ethos of its era; often (especially as the Great American Novel) discussed as a literary aspiration rather than as an attained ideal.
Origin
Mid 19th century.
Definition of Great American Novel in US English:
Great American Novel
noun
A novel regarded as being of superior merit and encapsulating American values and experiences or evoking the ethos of its era; often (especially as the Great American Novel) discussed as a literary aspiration rather than as an attained ideal.