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AMERICAN LIT. RESEARCH WIKI
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Work Info edited "Babbitt" is a satire of the wealthy business class in the 1920's. "Babbitt" …

"Babbitt" is a satire of the wealthy business class in the 1920's. "Babbitt" documents the life of George F. Babbitt over the course of 2 years. Babbitt goes on a roller coaster ride of life changes , going from conservative conformity to rebellion and the back again. Lewis makes sure to touch on the corruption of American big business and the uncultured population in prohibition era hubs. Babbit is a tough character to analyze , while embodying everything wrong with America he is vibrant and dynamic character that the reader will enjoy following.
Lewis describes George F. Babbitt almost as if he is a living breathing stereotype of the quintessential 20's businessman. Even with his conformist nature , social status , and prosperity he still feels as if his life is off. He seeks to achieve happiness by becoming the radical opposite of himself. When he sees that he has failed in his pursuit of a new lifestyle he retreats to his former self , A dissatisfied conformist.
The reader will encounter many characters as he or she delves into its pages but very few of those actually contribute importance to the story. Mary babbitt is George Babbitt's wife , she too tires of their cumbersome middle-class lifestyle and eventually falls extremely ill in the later portion of the book. Paul Riesling is George's best friend and prompts him to rebel against his life of normalcy when faced with 3 years in prison for shooting his wife during one of her persistent "nagging sessions." Tanis Judique is George's mistress whom introduces him to her inner circle of bohemian friends dubbed "The Bunch."
Lewis' "Babbitt" is an example of a Modern American satire. Literary Satire is defined as "a literary composition, in verse or prose,in which human folly and vice are held up to scorn,derision,or ridicule." The book takes place in the fictional town of Zenith , a modestly sized mid-western city, during the booming and prosperous 20's. The plot of Babbitt revolves around George F. Babbitt , Babbitt on the surface has the ideal American life but he loathes his daily life. After the loss of his dear friend, and only confidant, Babbitt is pushed over the edge and decides to completely terraform the only world he knew and strip himself of the visage he wore every day. George indulges in activities that would’ve previously been the most heinous and radical things he could ever do, that is until his wife , Myra , has a close encounter with death. After his wife’s near death experience “sees the folly of his ways” and returns to his life of conformity and social restrictions thus emphasizing the satirical aspect of this book.
To conclude my essay , I would like to say that "Babbitt" is a skillfully crafted novel that does an excellent job at exposing the similarities between two seemingly parallel worlds . Lewis' mastery of Satire is ever present as he expounds on the foolishness of the middle-class and those that inexplicably rebel against it. Reading this book only strengthened my views on certain aspects of society , such as the repressive nature of our society and the commonality of conformity. One gripe I have with this book is that the book rolls off to a slow start which is horrible for the impatient reader , which is the common reader. All in all , I would definitely recommend this book to anyone seeking to actually take something away from a finished book.
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Critical Analysis Info edited "Critical Essay on 'Babbit" This critical essay on "Babbitt" summarizes th…

"Critical Essay on 'Babbit"
This critical essay on "Babbitt" summarizes the plot of the story but mostly focuses on the relationship between George Babbitt and his friend Paul. In "Babbitt" George Babbitt lives a life devoid of many relationships some would consider necessary to remain sane. George Babbit's only anchor to sanity is Paul Riesling , Babbitt's best friend. Paul Riesling represents everything valuable to George , as he is the only person George can relay his true thoughts to. Throughout this article the author continues to emphasize the importance of Paul to the reader and even goes to say there is an underlying homosexual relationship between the two.
. "Babbitt: An American Life."
Despite Babbitt's commercial success , Lewis was often thought of and dubbed as one of the worst authors of his time. Most literature expert's would find this horribly wrong but Lewis had a key fault , he wrote too much. Often times Lewis would churn out 40 pages in one day and with that much content in one day he would often lose his style or flow. Babbitt is divided into two sections : The first part examines Babbitt in the 1920's and a critical analysis of his personality. The second part analyzes Babbitt's importance as a novel in the history of American Realism Cagle clearly favors Lewis as he compares him to the likes of Mark Twain. Even though this article is an analysis of a book that is an analysis of another it still serves as a decent motivation to read Babbitt with quotes such as "A book of many strands of aesthetic and social significance, Babbitt is also a work of love, a mocking and yet heroic authentication of the fanatic Americanness of its author."
"Review of //Babbitt//."
The article begins with a simple question , "Is Babbitt as good as Main Street?", and the author smugly responds with "yes , it's better." The author goes on to emphasize how much better Lewis masterfully paints the picture of "Babbitt's" setting and how "Main Street" pales in comparison. This article would be useful if I'd actually read "Main Street". On the other hand the author does an excellent job highlighting and touching on all the great aspects of Babbitt such as characters , character development , and story pace. Lewisohn states "The surface is all movement and ironic gayety, marvelously authentic talk and vivid people. Interpretation is limited to a phrase or an adjective. But from the few scenes and phrases that illustrate the relations of George Babbitt and his wife, a history of the inner truth of a typical American marriage could be developed."
"Searching for the fairy child: a psychoanalytic study of 'Babbitt.'."
Lewis' character George Babbitt , goes through large psychological changes throughout the novel and because of this , the author of this article decides to do a psychoanalytic study on the character. Many would call George Babbitt a prime candidate for psychoanalytic study but surprisingly there have been very few willing to conduct studies on him. That may have something to do with Lewis' large disdain for Sigmund Freud , The father of psychoanalysis. Morefield has done just that in this article. Throughout the article Morefield links psychology and "Babbitt" with psychoanalytic terms like "repression" and "reintegration". The sheer amount of psychological development documented in this one article goes to show how developed Lewis' characters are. This article proved to be beneficial in aiding me of giving me a further understanding of George Babbitt and why he makes the decisions he does. The psychoanalytic approach is something I have never seen before and is refreshing to see.
{sinclair-lewis-3.jpg} Author of "Babbitt" , Sinclair Lewis

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Author Bio edited Sinclair Sinclair Lewis , {uewb_06_img0426.jpg}

Sinclair Sinclair Lewis ,
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Movement info edited ... and Experimentation: 1914-1945") 1914-1945"). The war left a bad taste in the mou…

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and Experimentation: 1914-1945")1914-1945"). The war left a bad taste in the mouth of many of America's youth and soldiers alike. This disdain for the war and politics acted as a catalyst for the counter-culture of the 20's of which modernism sprang from, "Modernism is often marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. This break includes a strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views."(Lorcher, Para. 1)
The rapid growth of America coupled with the atrocities of World War 1 and the feelings it spawned are truly what shaped Modernism. "In broad terms, the period was marked by sudden and unexpected breaks with traditional ways of viewing and interacting with the world. Experimentation and individualism became virtues, where in the past they were often heartily discouraged."("Modernism) The new ideology of going against the grain is what really set Modernism apart from the rest of the literary movements , never before were people so willing to try new things and experiment with new ideas. Many very famous American authors were major figures in the Modernism movement such as Ernest Hemingway and Sinclair Lewis.
{hemingway.jpg} Ernest Hemingway , a prominent American Modernist {modernism.jpg} A depiction of Modernism

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Movement info edited Modernism , sprung from Europe and America during the early 20th century , was a literary movement…

Modernism , sprung from Europe and America during the early 20th century , was a literary movement that embraced the many changes that occured during the time and did so through describing rich new radical lifestyles that seemed to enthrall the American public. Before the time of modernism the world was at a very rough and tumultuous point as wars were being waged and fought. An article states , " many historians have characterized the period between the two world wars as the United States' traumatic "coming of age," despite the fact that U.S. direct involvement was relatively brief (1917-1918) and its casualties many fewer than those of its European allies and foes."( "Modernism and Experimentation: 1914-1945")

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