Definition

Proper noun: - Harry Sinclair Lewis: An American novelist and playwright, the first writer from the United States to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature (awarded in 1930). His work is known for its critical and satirical depictions of American society, particularly its middle class, materialism, and conformity.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • Harry Sinclair Lewis won the Nobel Prize for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humour, new types of characters.
  • The novels of Harry Sinclair Lewis, such as Main Street and Babbitt, offered a sharp critique of small-town life and business culture.

Advanced Usage

• "Lewisian": (adjective) Pertaining to or characteristic of the works or style of Harry Sinclair Lewis.
  • The novel's Lewisian satire exposed the hypocrisies of provincial society.

Variants and Related Words

• Sinclair Lewis: A common shortened or alternative reference to the author.
  • Sinclair Lewis declined the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Arrowsmith.

Synonyms

• Novelist: A writer of novels.
• Satirist: A writer who uses humour, irony, or ridicule to criticize people's stupidity or vices.

Related Phrases

• "Main Street": The title of his famous 1920 novel, often used to refer broadly to the conformist attitudes and narrow-mindedness of small-town America.

  • The committee's thinking was pure Main Street, resistant to any new ideas.

• "Babbitt": The title of his 1922 novel, whose protagonist's name became a synonym for a materialistic, complacent, and conformist businessman.

  • He didn't want to become a corporate Babbitt, losing his individuality for the sake of success.

Noun

1. United States novelist who satirized middle-class America in his novel Main Street (1885-1951)