Why are Cheever's short stories sometimes described as 'uniquely American'? What would make a story 'uniquely British'? Would you want to write a narrative that was uniquely identifiable with any culture?

Cheever’s short stories are sometimes described as uniquely American because his writing encapsulates small nuances and Americanisms that might be lost on readers of another culture. As well as this he features culturally, politically and socially relevant events that pertain to America and American society during the time period in which he sets a story. His writing encompasses the values of America which permeate through the characters and their relationships with one another. 

For example links to the Cold War and the paranoia surrounding communism can be found in some of Cheever’s works, such as The Swimmer. Then there are smaller things, such everyone having their own pool, something that would be unheard of in, for example a British story.

Certain themes or nuances can make a story unique to any other culture or country. Ways in which one could make a story uniquely British would be for example to have characters drinking tea, a small but definitive aspect of British culture. 

Consequently I do not so much want to write a narrative that is uniquely identifiable with a culture, as much as I feel it can be the logical thing to do. If you’re writing a story set in America you will want to give it as much authenticity as you can, so that it feels like the story has to have taken place in the location you’ve set. That you couldn’t simply pick up the characters and drop them into a different country without losing major aspects of the story and characters in the process.