Why are Cheever’s stories ‘uniquely American’? What would make a story uniquely British?

Quite recently a friend of mine noted that Ori (one of the dwarves from Peter Jackson's The Hobbit) is the "best representation of true British folk." It's a statement, I think, has a great deal of sense to it. But what is it that makes him so quintessentially British?
He isn't one of the warrior dwarves (although in Jackson's interpretation we see that he can fight).
He is awkward, bumbling, soft-spoken, and hardly memorable.
But ultimately Ori proves himself courageous and determined. He is, quite literally, a little man who stands up against a dragon and wins.

Moreover, I find it interesting to note that Ori is a writer, accompanying the other dwarves to the Lonely Mountain as their scribe. So what can this mean for British writers? If American writers are coarse and blunt and include allusions to the American dream and capitalism, it would seem apt that British writers are more softly spoken, melancholic and sarcastic in their work. Perhaps this is why English writers such as Ian McEwan will include the pickled penis of Capt. Nicholls in Solid Geometry but Cheever will make recurring references to the disillusionment of the American dream.
Also, both British writers - and people - are more willing to take themselves less seriously; our wry sense of humour may prompt us to include odd details that leave the readers baffled. Whereas the straight-forward, no-nonsense American writers are keen to make their agendas clear - like Cheever with a summation of his message in the last paragraphs of each story.




Comments

  1. Sam Spam4 February 2014 at 17:09

    I like how you make that comparison between British and American writers and I do think there is a lot of truth in what you say. There are a lot of odd details within British writing, like that pickled penis, and other things besides, and this is one way in which we - as British writers - are different to Americans who are more to-the-point and end their stories with a summary, like Cheever. British writers, I think, tend to end their stories more open-endedly for the reader.

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