Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (1871-1945) was an American novelist and journalist best known for his pioneer work in the naturalist school. His writing often portrays characters whose strength lies not in their moral code or ethics, but instead in their absolute persistence as they are confronted by all obstacles; their unwillingness to yield. These are situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of choice and agency.Dreiser's first commercial success was An American Tragedy (1925), which was made into a film in 1931 and again in 1951 (as A Place in the Sun).Literary critic Irving Howe said of Dreiser that he was, "among the American giants, one of the very few American giants we have had," and one of Dreiser's chief advocates during his lifetime was H.L. Mencken who said, "that he is a great artist, and that no other American of his generation left so wide and handsome a mark upon the national letters."
Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy (1925) is nothing less than what the title holds it to be; it is the story of a weak-willed young man who is both villain and victim (the victim of a valueless, materialistic society) and someone who ultimately destroys himself. Dreiser modeled the story of Clyde Griffiths on a real-life murder that took place in 1906; a young social climber of considerable charm murdered his pregnant girlfriend to get her out of the way so that he could instead play to the affections of a rich girl who had begun to notice him.But An American Tragedy is more than simply a powerful murder story. Dreiser pours his own dark yearnings into his character, Clyde Griffiths, as he details the young man’s course through his ambitions of wealth, power, and satisfaction.The Indiana-born Dreiser (1871-1945) has never cut a dashing or romantic swath through American literature. He has no Pulitzer or Nobel Prize to signify his importance. Yet he remains for myriad reasons: his novels are often larger than life, rugged, and defy the norms of conventional morality and organized religion. They are unapologetic in their sexual candor--in fact, outrightly frank--and challenge even modern readers. The brooding force of Dreiser’s writing casts a dark shadow across American letters.Here in An American Tragedy, Dreiser shows us the flip side of The American Dream in a gathering storm that echoes with all of the power and force of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Inspired by the writings of Balzac and the ideas of Spenser and Freud, Dreiser went on to become one of America’s best naturalist writers. An American Tragedy is testimony to the strength of Dreiser’s work: it retains all of its original intensity and force.
Book #2 in Theodore Dreiser’s Trilogy of Desire
Theodore Dreiser’s absorbing Trilogy of Desire weaves a tale of twentieth-century American capitalism through the rise and fall of aspiring mogul, Frank Cowperwood.
Finally released from prison, Frank immediately dives back into the stock market after the Panic of 1873, aiming to recover his lost fortune, and become a millionaire once more. This time, he has a new plan and sets out for Chicago with his mistress, Aileen. Using his brutal business sense to snuff out his opponents Frank has his eyes on the city’s street-railway system as his ticket back to the top.
But as Frank knows, the past cannot remain buried forever, and it’s only a matter of time before his previous misdeeds come back to find him in his new home, threatening his stability—and more importantly, his money.
Book #3 in Theodore Dreiser’s Trilogy of Desire
Caught at a financial impasse and in an increasingly-complicated love triangle, Frank heads across the sea to London, England for a chance to develop a new underground railway system. Though still married to his estranged wife, Aileen, he has found a new paramour in Berenice—among others.
Doing what he does best, Frank puts his plans in motion to conquer London’s transportation market guaranteeing the lion’s share of the profits for himself. However, as his age begins to catch up with him, an illness makes it clear these are the last years of his life. In his final chapter, Frank must negotiate personal and financial challenges to make his lasting mark on the world.
