Who are the most influential literary figures in American history?

Mank -- Thank you for the best, and most interesting question of the day. I hadn't see this list; it's quite something. What about some of the great poets and playwrites? What about Tennessee Williams and Arthur Miller? What about T. S. Eliot and e.e. cummings and Robert Frost?

And while I can appreciate the historical significance of H. B. Stowe, I strongly object to her inclusion. Yes, I know Uncle Tom's Cabin helped ignite the Civil War; but as a piece of literature (examined entirely for its extant merits, the work is very amateurish. Sorry, but I see her inclusion as more a bow to political correctness than literary merit). The same is true for Thoreau and Emerson. As for Cooper -- he's dated.

Okay. Most of the other selections make perfect sense. Here's my list.

1. Mark Twain.

2. Ernest Hemmingway

3. John Steinbeck

4. Robert Frost

5. William Faulkner.

6. Tennessee Williams.

7. Herman Melville.

8. Tom Wolfe (Not "Thomas" Wolfe).

9. Toni Morrison.

10. John Updike.

Thanks again for an interesting question. Cheers.

I think Edgar Allen Poe should be included on this list because he invented the Single Effect Theory for writing short storys, which states that each word in the story should evoke the single effect of the entire work and that any word diminishing the single effect should be left out. In the past he was credited with writing the first detective story.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Tennessee Williams

What became into your element? Did you have one? You do understand that Republicans elected Arab-American Spencer Abraham as their Senator, dazzling? in case you prefer to verify rather disillusioned human beings and a point of hatred and animosity, seem in any respect the liberals while they provide theory to Republican and conservative blacks like Herman Cain, Allen West, Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, Ward Connerly, and so on.

I like this list, but I could see adding Langston Hughes for the Harlem Renassance poetry, or Toni Morrison, or J.D. Salinger, and if I had to drop one of their top ten, I would probably toss Cooper.

I would change the order, and put Hemmingway as 2nd.I would also add some female authors. I think Mya D'Angelo has shaped todays women and society.