The New York Times asks, “Why are we obsessed with ‘The Great American Novel?'”

Cherly Strayed says, “Our obsession with the Great American Novel is perhaps evidence of the even greater truth that it’s impossible for one to exist.”

Adam Kirsch says, “The more deeply a novel lays bare the darkness in American society and the American soul, the more likely it is to become a classic.”

We say it’s a moot point. The Great American Novel was published in 1964: Ken Kesey’s “Sometimes a Great Notion.”

Discuss!