Books about low-class, blue-collar people?

[Anonymous No.16112989]

Specifically characters who are white trash/lower class but the narrator/author doesn't make fun of them. Such as a redneck who has poetic and philosophical dispositions, but who lacks the language and education to express himself. I really enjoy non-pretentious characters who appear dumb to most people, who talk funny, are into drugs, etc., but they are far, far from stupid.

[Anonymous No.16112996]

>>16112989
Also, Raymond Carver is the only author I can think of right now.

[Anonymous No.16113010]

Reading To Have and Have Not. For what it's worth, I don't want to go back to reading about the English Victorian middle class as soon as possible

[Anonymous No.16113014]

>>16113010
*Do want, spazzed out there

[Anonymous No.16113015]

>>16112989
Cormac McCarthy? Child of God in particular.

[Anonymous No.16113017]

>>16112989
Post Office

[Anonymous No.16113028]

>>16113010
I feel like Hemingway writes a lot of characters this way. In his stories, anyway, haven't read his books.

>>16113015
There's plenty of this in McCarthy, which is why I love him. There's a scene in All the Pretty Horses where they're discussing whether or not you'd be the same person with a different parent. I mean, sure, kids think this all the time, but I was nice reading about two cowboys having this conversation.

[Anonymous No.16113030]

>>16112989
can't think of any books that don't depict them in a negative light.

[Anonymous No.16113034]

>>16112989
Infinite Jest during the halfway house scenes.
Also the Canterbury Tales

[Anonymous No.16113046]

>>16113030
What a disappointment. Fucking aristocratic cunt writers.

>>16113034
>Canterbury Tales
Really? I feel like Chaucer would definitely poke fun at the poor. But I have to admit to never reading him.

[Anonymous No.16113079]

>>16113046
I haven't read all of it, but yeah, a lot of the lower class characters in the pilgrimage end up telling noble stories that surprise the higher ranking characters. I was amazed by how many elements of the book - metafiction, irony, extra-textual allusion, etc. were at play as early as the 14th century

[Anonymous No.16113084]

>>16112989
Suttree. Main character is a genius larping as a retard and hanging out with retards because he hates his rich family and prefers retards

[Anonymous No.16113168]

>>16113084
Seconding this, Suttree is excellent & exactly what you seem to be looking for

[Anonymous No.16113189]

>>16113079
Sheeeiitt, is it worth learning Middle English? Also, do I have to know any French? English supposedly didn't make a comeback till 15th century.

[Anonymous No.16113205]

>>16113084
>>16113168
Close enough. More of a character who doesn't quite know he's smart and isn't a self-insert for the "misunderstood genius" of /lit/. I'm looking more for a narrator who sees all people as equally intelligent (a big stretch, I know) but have their dispositions.

Not like it matters, I'm reading Suttree anyway.

[Anonymous No.16113305]

>>16113046
tbqf, they're quite negative people

[Anonymous No.16113323]

>>16112989
L'Assommoir by Zola

[Anonymous No.16113358]

>>16113189
This is the version I have, from the broadview anthology of british lit (medieval period), the obscure words have a modern day translation on the side. Other than that, the language is fairly easy to understand even if it takes a bit longer to read. No French required, though there's a fair amount of allusions to french culture

[Anonymous No.16113714]

I've been hearing people mention Hillbilly Elegy quite a bit. I haven't read it yet.

[Anonymous No.16113826]

>>16112989
i hate to keep recommending this book but cannery row

[Anonymous No.16113857]

>>16112989
Most Faulkner novels count as this, though he also writes about decaying white gentry families and poor blacks.

[Anonymous No.16113873]

Steinbeck

[Anonymous No.16113874]

>>16112989
Of Mice and Men

[Anonymous No.16113877]

>>16112989
the short stories of breece pancake

[Anonymous No.16114189]

>>16113857
As I Lay Dying is God-tier.
The Sound and the Fury is Elder God-tier.

[Anonymous No.16114217]

>>16113857
>>16113873
these, and bukowski like someone mentioned above. and hillbilly elegy, though it's not a classic

[Anonymous No.16114240]

>>16114217
I'm honestly looking for more contemporary stuff anyway, at least published in the 80s.

[Anonymous No.16114280]

Comatose, Pa's wife, the slobstress, buried an armchair beneath her bulk.

[Anonymous No.16114289]

Adventures of augie March - Saul bellow

[Anonymous No.16114333]

Union Dues by John Sayles

[Anonymous No.16114352]

>>16112996
based
thought i was the only person on /lit/ who read him, i made a thread last week that got one reply.
his stories are absolute kino, he's the only person that could make an ear infection exciting. love his writing style too

[Anonymous No.16114360]

>>16114352
His style isn't purple enough for the pseuds on this board.

[Anonymous No.16115120]

>>16113358
it don't seem to bad

[Anonymous No.16115300]

Skip Hillbilly Elegy (too condescending and non-fiction) and read this instead. It fits your description to a T, OP; one of the stories is even about a guy who can't express his poetic feelings.

[Anonymous No.16115339]

>>16114352
every single MFA chud reads raymond carver like dirty realism is going out of fuckin style you loser

[Anonymous No.16115350]

CARSON MCCULLLERRRRRRSSSSSS

[Anonymous No.16115353]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Osh-KYy4Cw

[Anonymous No.16115358]

Jack london books. Martin Eden particularly comes to mind.

[Anonymous No.16115373]

>>16115350
Nice.

[Anonymous No.16115381]

>>16112989
Literally any Saramago Book.
Namely:
>Baltasar and Blimunda
>Raised from the Ground
I'm actually surprised that no one mentioned him yet.

[Anonymous No.16115382]

>>16113323
Zola doesn't make fun but it's obvious he despised them from the bottom of his heart.
>>16115350
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter fits the bill.

[Anonymous No.16115387]

>>16115300
>>16114333
>>16114289
>>16114280
>>16113877
>>16113323
>>16113017
>>16115358
>>16115381
>>16115382
Thanks a billion, guys.

[Anonymous No.16115389]

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
A Kestrel for a Knave

[Anonymous No.16115390]

bobbie ann mason