Dodsworth - Sinclair Lewis

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Résumé :
Samuel Dodsworth is an ambitious and innovative automobile designer, who builds his fortunes in fictional Zenith, Winnemac. In addition to his success in the business world, he had also succeeded as a young man in winning the hand of Frances 'Fran' Voelker, a beautiful young socialite. While the novel provides the courtship as a backstory, the real story begins upon his retirement. Retiring at the age of fifty as a result of his selling of his successful automobile company (The Revelation Motor Company) to a far larger competitor, he sets out to do what he had always wanted to experience: a leisurely trip to Europe with his wife, with aspirations to visit some manufacturing plants looking for his next challenge.

Biographie:
Harry Sinclair Lewis was an American novelist, playwright, and short-story writer born on 7 February 1885 in Sauk Centre, Minnesota. He gained recognition for his sharp critiques of American society, particularly targeting materialism, religious hypocrisy, and conformity. His works often featured ambitious characters navigating flawed institutions, blending satire with psychological insight. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, a milestone that acknowledged both his literary innovation and cultural influence. His notable novels include Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, and Elmer Gantry, each known for exposing the undercurrents of social life in small-town America and beyond. Over the years, his writing was influenced by figures such as Robert G. Ingersoll, Edmund Wilson, and Richard Harding Davis. He was married twice, first to Grace Hegger Lewis from 1914 to 1925, and later to journalist Dorothy Thompson from 1928 to 1942. Lewis died in Rome, Italy on 10 January 1951 at the age of 65, leaving behind a legacy of bold social commentary and literary achievement....

Sommaire:
Samuel Dodsworth is an ambitious and innovative automobile designer, who builds his fortunes in fictional Zenith, Winnemac. In addition to his success in the business world, he had also succeeded as a young man in winning the hand of Frances 'Fran' Voelker, a beautiful young socialite. While the novel provides the courtship as a backstory, the real story begins upon his retirement. Retiring at the age of fifty as a result of his selling of his successful automobile company (The Revelation Motor Company) to a far larger competitor, he sets out to do what he had always wanted to experience: a leisurely trip to Europe with his wife, with aspirations to visit some manufacturing plants looking for his next challenge....