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An American Tragedy
An American Tragedy
Author: Theodore Dreiser
The classic depiction of the harsh realities of American life, the dark side of the American Dream, and one man's doomed pursuit of love and success... — "Mr. Dreiser is not imitative and belongs to no school. He is at heart a mysticist and a fatalist, though using the realistic method. He is, on the evidence of this novel alone, a power."-The...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780451516961
ISBN-10: 0451516966
Publication Date: 9/1/1964
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 2

4 stars, based on 2 ratings
Publisher: Signet Classics
Book Type: Paperback
Members Wishing: 0
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bookaddict avatar reviewed An American Tragedy on
I enjoyed this very much as a teenager; it's got all the elements of trash, but masquerades as literature. I have read my copy of this until it is falling apart (it is not posted to PBS, of course!). Dreiser's writing is technically horrible, but the story is so compelling...if you kind of blur your crit skills as you read (don't notice the awkward sentences, the repetition, etc) you will really get absorbed by this one. A lot better than Sister Carrie. I think of this as pulp fiction from an earlier era. The whole "naturalist" movement of literature is represented perfectly by this book. So it's a little depressing on the whole--but it's a fun, long read. If you like this, you'll no doubt like Maugham (The Razor's Edge, Of Human Bondage) and Sinclair Lewis (Babbitt, Main Street, Arrowsmith). The story here (drastically edited) was made into the movie A Place in the Sun.
reviewed An American Tragedy on + 24 more book reviews
Excellent! Be sure to catch the Elizabeth Taylor/Montgomery Clift/Shelly Winters movie version called "A Place in the Sun."
reviewed An American Tragedy on + 44 more book reviews
Very Good 20th century classic


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