An American Tragedy - Dreiser, Theodore

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Résumé :
The author based the book on a notorious criminal case. On July 11, 1906, resort owners found an overturned boat and the body of Grace Brown at Big Moose Lake in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York. Chester Gillette was put on trial, and convicted of killing Brown, though he claimed that her death was a suicide. Gillette was executed by the electric chair on March 30, 1908. The murder trial drew international attention when Brown's love letters to Gillette were read in court. Dreiser saved newspaper clippings about the case for several years before writing his novel, during which he studied the case closely. He based Clyde Griffiths on Chester Gillette, deliberately giving him the same initials. This novel is full of symbolism, ranging from Clyde's grotesque description of the high gloomy walls of the factory as an opportunity for success, symbolizing how it is all a mirage, to the description of girls as electrifying to foreshadow Clyde's destination to the electric chair; Dreiser transforms everyday mundane objects to symbols. Dreiser sustains readers' interest in the lengthy novel (over 700 pages) by the accumulation of detail, and by continually varying the emotional distance of his writing from Clyde and other characters, from detailed examination of their thoughts and motivations to dispassionate reportage.

Biographie:
American author and journalist Theodore Dreiser (1871-December 28, 1945) was a naturalist. In several of his works, the main characters achieved their goals despite the absence of a clear moral code. The best-known books of Dreiser are An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie (1900). John Paul Dreiser and Sarah Maria (n?e Schanab), his parents, welcomed him into the world in Terre Haute, Indiana. German immigrant John Dreiser came to Prussia from Mayen in the Rhine Province. Near Dayton, Ohio, Sarah was a native of a Mennonite agricultural village. Dreiser began working for newspapers in Chicago, Saint Louis, Toledo, Pittsburgh, and New York in 1892 as a reporter and theatrical critic. An American Tragedy, which was published in 1925, was Dreiser's first literary triumph. His older brother Paul Dresser, who rose to fame as a musician in the 1890s, was the subject of Dreiser's short tale My Brother Paul. In 1918, he released his first collection of short tales, Free and Other Stories. The idea of poverty and ambition is continued in his poem The Aspirant from 1929....

Sommaire:
Theodore Dreiser, born in 1871 in Terre Haute, Indiana, was a prominent American novelist and journalist. He became a key figure in the naturalist literary movement, known for his realistic portrayals of human life shaped by social and economic forces. His works often examined characters driven by ambition and desire, reflecting the deterministic views of naturalism.Dreiser began his career in journalism before turning to novels, with Sister Carrie (1900) and An American Tragedy (1925) being his most famous works. He explored dark aspects of American life, addressing poverty, class struggle, and industrialization's effects. His complex, morally ambiguous characters marked a departure from idealized portrayals of society.Despite facing criticism for his controversial depictions, Dreiser had a lasting impact on American literature. His works challenged societal norms and offered a deeper, more nuanced view of human nature. He passed away in 1945, leaving behind a legacy as a pivotal figure in the naturalist movement....