100 years on, 'Main Street' divide endures New exhibit about Sinclair Lewis, author of the seminal novel about small-town America, opens at the Minnesota History Center. By John Rash, Rash Report April 9, 2021 — 6:00pm Text size Copy shortlink: Novel. As a noun, "an invented prose narrative that is usually long and complex and deals especially with human experience through a usually connected sequence of events." As an adjective, "original or striking especially in conception or style." Combining these dictionary definitions, an insightful writer might weave a story about the era's defining issues, like a pandemic. Or race relations, religious or political demagoguery, or the deepening divide between rural and urban America.