Difference between revisions of "Theodore Dreiser" - New World Encyclopedia
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| − | '''Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser''' ( | + | '''Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser''' (August 17, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and non-fiction writer who explored the facets of [[naturalism (literature)|naturalist]] like no one in American literature had done before. He is known for his intense and real-life portrayals of life, often placing his characters in harsh circumstances that were often distasteful and amoral to readers. Because of Dreisers drive to create naturalistic works, he often fought against censorship in various forms. The censorship lasted well past his death, as Dreiser did not live to see his novels published in their original form, for example,''Sister Carrie'' (1900) was not publised in its entirety until 1981. Despite the lack of popularity that faced his career, most erudites recognized the great originality and quality in Thedore Dreiser's works. |
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[[Image:Theodore Dreiser 1918.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Dreiser in 1918]] | [[Image:Theodore Dreiser 1918.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Dreiser in 1918]] | ||
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| − | + | == Early Life == | |
| + | |||
| + | Theodore Dreiser was the ninth child born to John Paul and Sarah Dreiser in 1871. The family, which consisted of ten living children, (the eldest of whom was [[Paul Dresser]], the popular songwriter)settled in [[Terre Haute, Indiana|Terre Haute]], [[Indiana]], where John tried to establish a woolen mill. John was a hard-working man who had emigrated from Germany, he met Sarah, a young girl from a Mennonite community near Dayton, Ohio. The couple seemed an unlikely match, but they fell in love just the same. They were met with severe oppostion from Sarah's family who threatened to disown her if she went through with the marriage. Sarah did not heed their threats, and she married John and converted to Catholicism. She never had contact with her family again. | ||
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| + | The couple were devout Catholics, and raised their children to follow the Catholic faith. Despite their best efforts to support the family, John's woolen mill met with failure when it caught fire and burned down. This failure placed upon the family a blanket of poverty that they would never be able to shake off. The family became nomadic, following John around from town to town as he looked for work. The constant moving around made Theodore's chance at education erratic at best. He would begin a school and three months later be pulled out, only to repeat the process in the next town he moved to. Dreiser's real education came from the books he poured himself into. He read constantly, getting his hands on copies of authors such as Freud, Hawthorne, Poe, Shakespear, Spencer, and Balzac. With the words of these men circling in his mind, Dreiser began to form his own ideas about the world, and inparticular, religion. | ||
| − | + | Finally, at the age of 16, Theordore Dreiser had enough of following his parents in poverty. He left home and worked at whatever jobs he could find, the similarities between he and his father seemed imminent. | |
| − | + | == Career == | |
| + | From 1889–1890, Theodore attended [[Indiana University Bloomington|Indiana University]] before flunking out. Within several years, he was writing for the ''Chicago Globe'' newspaper and then the ''St. Louis Globe-Democrat''. In 1892 he married Sara White. Although they separated in 1909, they were never formally divorced. | ||
| − | + | His first novel, ''[[Sister Carrie]]'' (1900), tells the story of a woman who flees her country life for the city ([[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]) and falls into a wayward life of sin. The publisher did little to promote the book, and it sold poorly. Dreiser took a job editing women's magazines until he was forced to resign in 1910 because of an intraoffice romance. His second novel, ''[[Jennie Gerhardt]]'', was published the following year. Many of Dreiser's subsequent novels dealt with social inequality. | |
| − | Dreiser's style is marked by long sentences and intense attention to detail. Since his works deal with social status and the pursuit of material goods and pleasures, this level of realism and description services his theme; on the other hand, it can make many of his works, particularly ''Sister Carrie'', difficult for some. It should be noted that Dreiser is not well-regarded for his style, but for the realism of his work, character development, and his points-of-view on American life. Still, he is known to have had an enormous influence on the generation that followed his. In his tribute "Dreiser" from ''[[Horses and Men]]'' ( | + | == Success and Censorship == |
| + | His first commercial success was ''[[An American Tragedy]]'' (1925), which was made into a film in 1931 and again in 1951. | ||
| + | |||
| + | Other works include the ''[[Trilogy of Desire]]'' about Frank Cowperwood, a fictionalized version of [[Charles Yerkes]]: ''[[The Financier]]'' (1912), ''The Titan'' (1914), and ''The Stoic'' (published posthumously in 1947). | ||
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| + | In 1935 the library trustees of [[Warsaw, Indiana]] ordered the [[Book burning|burning]] of all the library's works by Dreiser. | ||
| + | |||
| + | == Writing Style == | ||
| + | Dreiser's style is marked by long sentences and intense attention to detail. Since his works deal with social status and the pursuit of material goods and pleasures, this level of realism and description services his theme; on the other hand, it can make many of his works, particularly ''Sister Carrie'', difficult for some. It should be noted that Dreiser is not well-regarded for his style, but for the realism of his work, character development, and his points-of-view on American life. Still, he is known to have had an enormous influence on the generation that followed his. In his tribute "Dreiser" from ''[[Horses and Men]]'' (1923), [[Sherwood Anderson]] writes: | ||
:Heavy, heavy, the feet of Theodore. How easy to pick some of his books to pieces, to laugh at him for so much of his heavy prose... The fellows of the ink-pots, the prose writers in America who follow Dreiser, will have much to do that he has never done. Their road is long but, because of him, those who follow will never have to face the road through the wilderness of Puritan denial, the road that Dreiser faced alone. | :Heavy, heavy, the feet of Theodore. How easy to pick some of his books to pieces, to laugh at him for so much of his heavy prose... The fellows of the ink-pots, the prose writers in America who follow Dreiser, will have much to do that he has never done. Their road is long but, because of him, those who follow will never have to face the road through the wilderness of Puritan denial, the road that Dreiser faced alone. | ||
[[Image:Dreiser.jpg|thumb|Theodore Dreiser, photographed by [[Carl Van Vechten]], 1933]] | [[Image:Dreiser.jpg|thumb|Theodore Dreiser, photographed by [[Carl Van Vechten]], 1933]] | ||
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Politically, Dreiser was involved in several campaigns against social injustice. This included the lynching of [[Frank Little (U.S. Trade Unionist)|Frank Little]], one of the leaders of the [[Industrial Workers of the World]], the [[Sacco and Vanzetti]] case, the deportation of [[Emma Goldman]], and the conviction of the trade union leader [[Tom Mooney]]. | Politically, Dreiser was involved in several campaigns against social injustice. This included the lynching of [[Frank Little (U.S. Trade Unionist)|Frank Little]], one of the leaders of the [[Industrial Workers of the World]], the [[Sacco and Vanzetti]] case, the deportation of [[Emma Goldman]], and the conviction of the trade union leader [[Tom Mooney]]. | ||
| − | + | == Later Life == | |
| − | Dreiser, a committed [[socialist]], wrote several non-fiction books on political issues. This included <i>Dreiser Looks at Russia ( | + | Dreiser, a committed [[socialist]], wrote several non-fiction books on political issues. This included <i>Dreiser Looks at Russia (1928)</i>, <i>Tragic America (1931)</i> and <i>America is Worth Saving (1941)</i>. Theodore Dreiser joined the American Communist Party in August 1945, on December 28th he died of heart failure. |
== References == | == References == | ||
Revision as of 19:31, 18 December 2006
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser (August 17, 1871 – December 28, 1945) was an American novelist and non-fiction writer who explored the facets of naturalist like no one in American literature had done before. He is known for his intense and real-life portrayals of life, often placing his characters in harsh circumstances that were often distasteful and amoral to readers. Because of Dreisers drive to create naturalistic works, he often fought against censorship in various forms. The censorship lasted well past his death, as Dreiser did not live to see his novels published in their original form, for example,Sister Carrie (1900) was not publised in its entirety until 1981. Despite the lack of popularity that faced his career, most erudites recognized the great originality and quality in Thedore Dreiser's works.
Early Life
Theodore Dreiser was the ninth child born to John Paul and Sarah Dreiser in 1871. The family, which consisted of ten living children, (the eldest of whom was Paul Dresser, the popular songwriter)settled in Terre Haute, Indiana, where John tried to establish a woolen mill. John was a hard-working man who had emigrated from Germany, he met Sarah, a young girl from a Mennonite community near Dayton, Ohio. The couple seemed an unlikely match, but they fell in love just the same. They were met with severe oppostion from Sarah's family who threatened to disown her if she went through with the marriage. Sarah did not heed their threats, and she married John and converted to Catholicism. She never had contact with her family again.
The couple were devout Catholics, and raised their children to follow the Catholic faith. Despite their best efforts to support the family, John's woolen mill met with failure when it caught fire and burned down. This failure placed upon the family a blanket of poverty that they would never be able to shake off. The family became nomadic, following John around from town to town as he looked for work. The constant moving around made Theodore's chance at education erratic at best. He would begin a school and three months later be pulled out, only to repeat the process in the next town he moved to. Dreiser's real education came from the books he poured himself into. He read constantly, getting his hands on copies of authors such as Freud, Hawthorne, Poe, Shakespear, Spencer, and Balzac. With the words of these men circling in his mind, Dreiser began to form his own ideas about the world, and inparticular, religion.
Finally, at the age of 16, Theordore Dreiser had enough of following his parents in poverty. He left home and worked at whatever jobs he could find, the similarities between he and his father seemed imminent.
Career
From 1889–1890, Theodore attended Indiana University before flunking out. Within several years, he was writing for the Chicago Globe newspaper and then the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. In 1892 he married Sara White. Although they separated in 1909, they were never formally divorced.
His first novel, Sister Carrie (1900), tells the story of a woman who flees her country life for the city (Chicago, Illinois) and falls into a wayward life of sin. The publisher did little to promote the book, and it sold poorly. Dreiser took a job editing women's magazines until he was forced to resign in 1910 because of an intraoffice romance. His second novel, Jennie Gerhardt, was published the following year. Many of Dreiser's subsequent novels dealt with social inequality.
Success and Censorship
His first commercial success was An American Tragedy (1925), which was made into a film in 1931 and again in 1951.
Other works include the Trilogy of Desire about Frank Cowperwood, a fictionalized version of Charles Yerkes: The Financier (1912), The Titan (1914), and The Stoic (published posthumously in 1947).
In 1935 the library trustees of Warsaw, Indiana ordered the burning of all the library's works by Dreiser.
Writing Style
Dreiser's style is marked by long sentences and intense attention to detail. Since his works deal with social status and the pursuit of material goods and pleasures, this level of realism and description services his theme; on the other hand, it can make many of his works, particularly Sister Carrie, difficult for some. It should be noted that Dreiser is not well-regarded for his style, but for the realism of his work, character development, and his points-of-view on American life. Still, he is known to have had an enormous influence on the generation that followed his. In his tribute "Dreiser" from Horses and Men (1923), Sherwood Anderson writes:
- Heavy, heavy, the feet of Theodore. How easy to pick some of his books to pieces, to laugh at him for so much of his heavy prose... The fellows of the ink-pots, the prose writers in America who follow Dreiser, will have much to do that he has never done. Their road is long but, because of him, those who follow will never have to face the road through the wilderness of Puritan denial, the road that Dreiser faced alone.
Humorist Corey Ford (writing as "John Riddell") quipped that Dreiser had only one plot: Boy meets Girl = Tragedy.
Renowned mid-century literary critic Irving Howe spoke of Dreiser as "among the American giants, one of the very few American giants we have had."
Politically, Dreiser was involved in several campaigns against social injustice. This included the lynching of Frank Little, one of the leaders of the Industrial Workers of the World, the Sacco and Vanzetti case, the deportation of Emma Goldman, and the conviction of the trade union leader Tom Mooney.
Later Life
Dreiser, a committed socialist, wrote several non-fiction books on political issues. This included Dreiser Looks at Russia (1928), Tragic America (1931) and America is Worth Saving (1941). Theodore Dreiser joined the American Communist Party in August 1945, on December 28th he died of heart failure.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Cassuto, Leonard and Clare Virginia Eby, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Theodore Dreiser. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2004.
- Loving, Jerome. The Last Titan: A Life of Theodore Dreiser. Berkeley: U of California P, 2005.
External links
- The International Theodore Dreiser Society
- Review-Essay: Dreiser on the Web
- DreiserWebSource at University of Pennsylvania Library, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Works by Theodore Dreiser. Project Gutenberg
- [http://www.geocities.com/mustavapint/eclectica.htm For an English viewpoint of Dreiser and comparisons between the book and the film.
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