In school many years ago I was forced to read what would be considered a “short story cycle.” From what I recall it had new characters each story but it crossed the different eras of American civilization.
The novel’s distinguishing theme however was inexplicable and frequent depictions of sexual conduct. For example, one story is wholly dedicated to a romance between a woman who is a leader of some budding movement (she may have been feminist) and some guy, but when they make it to the bedroom near the very of the chapter/story, a black servant bursts out of the closet spilling his load everywhere. And then the chapter ends.
I can’t recall the name of this novel, but once it’s identified I stuck it in this subforum to discuss what exactly the point of it was. The obvious message, it seems to me, is that America’s progression was influenced by its leaders’ sexuality (as if that’s some great insight).
I also call it a classic but it may not strictly be one. Hard to say without remembering the title.
Pretty sure you’re talking about “Ragtime” by E.L. Doctorow- there’s a scene where a guy finally is about to get laid, and some dude jumps out of a closet “clutching in his hands, as if trying to choke it, a rampant penis which, scornful of his intentions, whipped him about the floor, launching to his cries of ecstasy or despair, great filamented spurts of jism that traced the air like bullets and then settled slowly over Evelyn in her bed like falling ticker tape.”
I had to read it for a college english class. That scene cracked me up because I kind of imagined it as if Steve Martin had popped out of the closet.
Otherwise I didn’t much enjoy the book; it seemed not to really get to any point or resolve anything- it was just sort of observational about that era.
