An American Tragedy

An American Tragedy - Paperback

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An American Tragedy
  • An American Tragedy
An American Tragedy - Paperback

An American Tragedy - Paperback

by Theodore Dreiser
$17.00
$17.00

Book Overview

by Theodore Dreiser (Author)

This landmark 1925 novel--the basis for the acclaimed 1951 film A Place in the Sun--is both a riveting crime story and a devastating commentary on the American dream.

Theodore Dreiser was inspired by a true story to write this novel about an ambitious, socially insecure young man who finds himself caught between two very different women--and two very different visions of what his life could be. Clyde Griffiths was born poor and is poorly educated, but his prospects begin to improve when he is offered a job by a wealthy uncle who owns a shirt factory. Soon he achieves a managerial position, and despite being warned to stay away from the women he manages, he becomes involved with Roberta, a poor factory worker who falls in love with him. At the same time, he catches the eye of Sondra, the glamorous socialite daughter of another factory owner, and begins neglecting his lover to court her. When Roberta confronts Clyde with her pregnancy, Clyde's hopes of marrying Sondra are threatened, and he conceives a desperate plan to preserve his dream.

Author Biography

THEODORE DREISER was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on August 27, 1871. After a poor and difficult childhood, Dreiser broke into newspaper work in Chicago in 1892. A successful career as a magazine writer in New York during the late 1890s was followed by his first novel, Sister Carrie, in 1900. Over the next two decades he published works in a number of literary forms, followed in 1925 by An American Tragedy, a novel that brought him universal acclaim. Dreiser died in Los Angeles on December 28, 1945.

Number of Pages: 880
Dimensions: 1.6 x 7.9 x 5.2 IN
Publication Date: May 25, 2021
Accelerated Reader:
Quiz Name: American Tragedy
Interest Level: Upper Grades, 9-12
Reading Level: 8.5
Point Value: 65
ISBN9780593313329
Author Theodore Dreiser
PublisherVintage
GenreLiterature
FormatPaperback
PublishedMay 2021
LanguageENG- English
Pages880
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceTeens & young adults and Adults
Print SizeStandard Print

Related Subjects

Classics Crime Fiction Literary

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More by Theodore Dreiser

An American Tragedy (Volume I)

An American Tragedy (Volume I) - Paperback

An American Tragedy (Volume I) - Paperback

By Theodore Dreiser

About Theodore Dreiser

Theodore Dreiser was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on August 27, 1871. After a poor and difficult childhood, Dreiser broke into newspaper work in Chicago in 1892. A successful career as a magazine writer in New York during the late 1890s was followed by his first novel, Sister Carrie (1900). When this work made little impact, Dreiser published no fiction until Jennie Gerhardt in 1911. There then followed a decade and a half of major work in a number of literary forms, which was capped in 1925 by An American Tragedy, a novel that brought him universal acclaim. Dreiser was increasingly preoccupied by philosophical and political issues during the last two decades of his life. He died in Los Angeles on December 28, 1945.

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