An American Tragedy (Magill Book Reviews)
At a glance:
- Author: Theodore Dreiser
- First Published: 1925
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Naturalistic literature
- Subjects: Values, United States or Americans, Love or romance, Murder or homicide, Twentieth century, Chicago, Moral conditions, Ethics, Attorneys, Factory management
- Locales: Chicago, IL, Kansas City, MO, Lycurgus, New York
Clyde Griffiths is a dreamer and social climber. His family is poor and fanatically religious. His narrow upbringing cannot, however, stifle the urge he has to make something of himself. One of his jobs (as a bellhop) fortuitously brings him in contact with a rich relative, who promises Clyde a job in the family-run factory.
Much of the novel centers on Clyde’s deepening involvement with two women--Roberta, whom he meets in the Griffiths’ factory, and Sondra, a high-society girl he encounters at a family party. Having already committed himself to Roberta, a hazardous thing to...
[The entire page is 602 words long]
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