An American Tragedy | Setting
The story begins on the streets of Kansas City, moves to Chicago, and then shifts to Lycurgus, New York. It is set in the early twentieth century, a time when industrialism characterized American cities and when large factories and giant machinery formed the backdrop for the day-to-day grind of city workers. Dreiser's descriptions of the city illustrate his belief that industrial cities offer allure and promise but never deliver.
Throughout the novel, Dreiser places Clyde in settings that reveal a sharp contrast between the world of the rich and the world of the poor. Wherever...
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