About 135 years ago, a working-class man with little formal education but boundless talent was spending his lunch hours studying an obscure subject. "In a second floor room ... overlooking Russell Square," he discovered something referring to a flood, a ship and a mountain, and a bird. Who was this man, what had he found, and how, specifically, does that discovery relate to a great American novel?

FunTrivia17

Noah's ark? Apr 14 07, 8:05 PM

lanfranco

Well, you're sort of on the right track, ft. What other story might involve these details? Apr 15 07, 8:54 AM

queproblema

George Smith translated the Epic of Gilgamesh, an Assyrian version of the Great Deluge. How that relates to an American novel doesn't immediately spring to mind. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Smith_%28Assyriologist%29 Apr 15 07, 9:41 AM

lanfranco

George is the man, qp, but I'm holding off on the silver mace until the information on the novel is provided. I've virtually given it away in the question. Follow the links. Apr 15 07, 9:49 AM

queproblema

Yes, very amusing, not A great American novel, but "THE Great American Novel," by Philip Roth. Cut and paste here: "In his last chapter, Damrosch discusses some later uses of the Gilgamesh story, focusing on Philip Roth's The Great American Novel (in which a major character is a baseball pitcher named Gil Gamesh)..." http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/01/AR2007030102109_pf.html Apr 15 07, 9:59 AM

lanfranco

And a silver mace to you! Or would you rather have a cuneiform tablet? I've got one around here somewhere. In fact, I've recently finished reading the David Damrosch book, which is entertaining. Apr 15 07, 10:18 AM