I agree. Without wanting to start a culture war, I think it's unnecessary and at the very least, meaningless.

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I understand you beef but really it's just a title for a blog post not the political agenda for global domination.

It started in the us and later became international but the name is still "National Novel Writers Month" not "International Novel Writers Month" so it is easy to just let terms like "Great American Novel" roll off the top of the mind because the phrase is common in our cultural vernacular.

Hey the first time my old roommate Terry asked me for a "Fag" I nearly punched him in the face. I soon learned it was a nickname for cigarette. We say things that make since to us based on our surroundings. Get over It.

Now, admittedly us Americans need to learn to be more globally cultural, no excuses, it is a work in progress for most of us.

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It's about time we stuck a fence round the US and let the rest of the world progress without them.

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@ redcard: sounds good to me. Progress all you want, and leave the rest of us alone. :-)

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@ Gazoobee : Perhaps you have a good reason to be offended at the term American. Perhaps not. Who knows? However, the context in which "American" was used (i.e. "…the Great American Novel"), is not irrelevant or gratuitous. To me, it speaks to the fact that America—in its short history—has a reputation for providing its inhabitants with the freedom and opportunity to explore interests and pursue dreams to a much greater degree than any other society in history. If you're familiar with the phrase, "the land of opportunity," then you're familiar with this concept. Writing a novel—for whatever reason—is one of the most common references to this tradition. "The Great American Novel" refers to the idea of someone who isn't a professional author trying to write a novel at some point in his/her life.

Cheers.

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