My independant study assignment is to pick an era of literature (Lost Generation, Dark Romantic, Post Modernist, Augustine, etc.) and a book from that era. From there, my final essay is to write about the era, about the author and their influence in (or how they were influenced by) the era and how that book fits into the era in question. All of this is to give the novel context, but because the range that I can choose from is so large, I don't know exactly where to start.

Ok, I kind of do. I want to pick an interesting author. I've been recommended Jonathan Swift (so probably Gulliver's Travels), but I've also considered Joseph Heller, Daniel Keyes, Kurt Vonnegut and Thomas Pynchon.

Do you guys have any suggestions on good authors, or good books in particular to do for this assignment?