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Dreiser, Theodore ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
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DAWN: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF EARLY YOUTH
Dreiser, Theodore
1998 31474 In his realistic depiction of the thwarted aspirations and unfulfilled hungers of the turn-of-the-century American underclass, Theodore Dreiser was our Balzac, a socially-conscious writer far ahead of his time. Dawn, the journalist-turned-novelist's brutally candid autobiography of his first nineteen years (1871-1890), was composed between 1912 and 1915, but withheld by Dreiser due to his misgivings about the potential impact of its frank revelations, daring even by today's standards, of adolescent sexuality. Encouraged by his preeminence in American letters at the time and by the more relaxed moral codes, he finally published it in 1931. Critics immediately recognized the book as an American classic, comparing it to Rousseau's Confessions and The Education of Henry Adams. "Dawn is a story of growth", the New York Evening Post noted, "of the persistent spiritual and physical vitality of a man conquering despite all the accidents of economics and of personal 'chemistry' which tended to retard him". The new Black Sparrow edition, complete with notes, index and appendices, makes available to the modern reader Dreiser's powerful and unforgettable account of a difficult childhood spent struggling to rise out of impoverished and sordid surroundings. It is a gripping tale indeed: the writer's father, a German immigrant traumatized by failure in his adopted land, dwindles to an embittered bigot. The large family is scattered around the Midwest. In Chicago, young Theodore washes dishes in a greasy spoon, cleans stoves in a rundown hardware store, counts freight cars in a railroad yard. An episode of petty crime teaches him a lesson about attempting to live beyond his means. Skeptical andpragmatic, he's nonetheless prey to continual hothouse dreams of frustrated romance as he pursues back-alley sexual adventures. Through all his experiences and hard times it is fascinating to watch the foundation of Dreiser's vivid artistic vision gradually being formed. FROM THE CRITICS Jennifer Sperry - ForeWord Magazine ...written with tremendous frankness and introspection.... Because of its considerable length and tendency to meander about sometimes in circles, this work requires the luxury of time, and is not recommended for those seeking a quick history lesson. For history or literary scholars, however, along with those who enjoy long quiet walks and those seekers of great American autobiographies, Dawn will ignite flames. Booknews Reprints the 1931 Liveright edition without change except for the correction of a few misprints and misspellings. This section of what was envisioned as a multi-volume autobiography (only the first two volumes were completed) covers Dreiser's life up to his departure for St. Louis to work as a reporter for the Globe-Democrat. Reviewers of the original remarked that Dreiser had out-Rousseaued Rousseau in terms of frank personal revelations and his unblinking treatment of sex. Godine, David R. 1-57423-073-5 / 9781574230734
Soft Cover As New Condition Santa Rosa, CA
Price:
21.00 USD
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SISTER CARRIE BY THEODORE DREISER (HIS FIRST BOOK)
Dreiser, Theodore
1970 10016385 Sister Carrie, Theodore Dreiser's revolutionary first novel, was published in 1900--sort of. The story of Carrie Meeber, an 18-year-old country girl who moves to Chicago and becomes a kept woman, was strong stuff at the turn of the century, and what Dreiser's wary publisher released was a highly expurgated version. Times change, and we now have a restored "author's cut" of Sister Carrie that shows how truly ahead of his time Dreiser was. First and foremost, he has written an astute, nonmoralizing account of a woman and her limited options in late-19th-century America. That's impressive in and of itself, but Dreiser doesn't stop there. Digging deeply into the psychological underpinnings of his characters, he gives us people who are often strangers to themselves, drifting numbly until fate pushes them on a path they can later neither defend nor even remember choosing. Dreiser's story unfolds in the measured cadences of an earlier era. This sometimes works brilliantly as we follow the choices, small and large, that lead some characters to doom and others to glory. On the other hand, the middle chapters--of which there are many--do drag somewhat, even when one appreciates Dreiser's intentions. You will be rewarded by Sister Carrie's last 150 pages, which depict the harrowing downward spiral of one of the book's central characters. Here Dreiser portrays with brutal power how the wrong decision--or lack of decision--can lay waste to a life. Review " First novel by Theodore Dreiser, published in 1900, but suppressed until 1912. Sister Carrie tells the story of a rudderless but pretty small-town girl who comes to the big city filled with vague ambitions. She is used by men and uses them in turn to become a successful Broadway actress, while George Hurstwood, the married man who has run away with her, loses his grip on life and descends into beggary and suicide. Sister Carrie was the first masterpiece of the American naturalistic movement in its grittily factual presentation of the vagaries of urban life and in its ingenuous heroine, who goes unpunished for her transgressions against conventional sexual morality. The book's strengths include a brooding but compassionate view of humanity, a memorable cast of characters, and a compelling narrative line. The emotional disintegration of Hurstwood is a much-praised triumph of psychological analysis. Sister Carrie is a work of pivotal importance in American literature, and it became a model for subsequent American writers of realism. W W Norton & Co Inc 0393099490 / 9780393099492
softcover Very Good Condition
Price:
17.33 USD
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