Fils d'évangélistes errants, Clyde Griffiths vit mal la mendicité dévote de ses parents. Devenu jeune homme, il trouve un emploi dans un hôtel de luxe, où la richesse des autres l'éblouit. Mêlé par insouciance à une sinistre affaire, il fuit la ville et se réfugie auprès d'un oncle fortuné, propriétaire d'une usine. Faible, vaniteux, ignorant, sensuel, attiré par le fruit défendu, Clyde séduit une petite ouvrière, Roberte Alden, qui le croit sincèrement amoureux d'elle. Mais lors d'une soirée chez son oncle, il est remarqué par la belle Sondra, une hautaine héritière qui s'éprend follement de lui. Clyde se voit déjà riche. Mais Roberte est enceinte. Blessée par son infidélité, elle le menace de scandale. Il décide de s'en débarrasser.Tels sont les ingrédients de ce roman policier et social, inspiré d'une affaire criminelle réelle. Son titre indique la portée que Theodore Dreiser lui attribue. Le cas Griffiths est pour l'auteur caractéristique d'un état des choses propre à l'Amérique, à la fois immorale et puritaine. Considéré aux États-Unis comme l'un des 100 plus grands romans jamais écrits en anglais, Une tragédie américaine a fait l'objet d'adaptations cinématographiques, dont le très célèbre film de George Stevens Une place au soleil, avec Elisabeth Taylor et Montgomery Clift.
Journaliste engagé, militant socialiste, romancier hors norme, Theodore Dreiser (1871 - 1945) est considéré comme le père de la littérature américaine du XX siècle. Le grand critique et théoricien des lettres américaines H. L. Mencken dit que « Dreiser a joué dans la littérature américaine le rôle qu'a joué Darwin dans la biologie, il l'a transformée radicalement ». Les plus grands écrivains américains du XXe siècle se sont, en effet, réclamé de son héritage.
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Caroline Meeber, known as Sister Carrie to her family, moves to Chicago at the tender age of eighteen to try to make something of herself. Living with her sister and brotherinlaw, she quickly finds that life, and work, are hard in the big city. She soon takes up with a traveling salesman she met on the train into town. Months later her eye is turned by one of the salesman's acquaintances, George Hurstwood, and viceversa. A series of events lead Carrie and Hurstwood to New York City, where both struggle to live out the aspirations that brought them there.
Theodore Dreiser was one of the earliest naturalist writers, but he wrote Sister Carrie while the United States was still very Victorian in its morals. The book therefore caused a stir from the beginning: Carrie Meeber was clearly, even in the disguised language of the time, a sexually active, unmarried female, who wasn't made to suffer for her indiscretion to the extent considered necessary at the time. Dreiser's depiction of rough language merely added to the controversy. The first printing sold only 456 copies in two years; it was to be another five years before Dreiser could convince another publisher to carry the book. Today it's considered a classic and one of the "greatest of all American urban novels."
The text of Sister Carrie was unchanged until 1981, when the University of Pennsylvania Press published a new version with 36,000 words restored. The edition was not without controversy: the cuts were originally made before the first printing at the suggestion of Dreiser's wife, or his friend Arthur Henry, and Dreiser had approved all of them. Although the new Pennsylvania Edition, as it is called, made a good case for restoring the changes, it is the 1907 text that remains the most widely available today, and it is that text in this edition.
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Clyde Griffith's parents are poor streetpreachers, but Clyde doesn't "believe," and finds their work demeaning. At fifteen he gets a job and starts to ease out of their lives, eventually landing in some trouble that causes him to flee the town where they live. Two years later, Clyde meets his welloff uncle, who owns a large factory in upstate New York. Clyde talks his way into a job at the factory, and soon finds himself supervising a roomful of women. All alone, generally shunned by his uncle's family, and starved for companionship, he breaks the factory's rules and begins a relationship with a young woman who works for him. But Clyde has visions of marrying a highsociety woman, and fortune smiles on him in the form of the daughter of one of his uncle's neighbors. Soon Clyde finds himself in a love triangle of his own making, and one from which he seems incapable of extracting himself.
A newspaperman before he became a novelist, Theodore Dreiser collected crime stories for years of young men in relationships with young women of poorer means, where the young men found a richer, prettier girl who would go with him, and often took extreme measures to escape from the first girl. An American Tragedy, based on one of the most infamous of those reallife stories, is a study in lazy ambition, the very real class system in America, and how easy it is to drift into evil. It is populated with poor people who desire nothing more than to be rich, rich people whose only concern is to keep up with their neighbors and not be associated with the "wrong element," and elements of both who care far more about appearances than reality. It offers further evidence that the world may be very different from 100 years ago, but the people in it are very much the same.
"The Lost Phoebe" is a short story by Theodore Dreiser. Henry is so devastated by the death of his wife that cannot find peace, he finds himself constantly searching for her. He slowly yet inevitably descends into madness. Dreiser's vivid descriptions of the couple's happy days offer a sharp contrast to Henry's gloomy present. Set on a dilapidated Midwestern farm during the Big Depression, it as story about love, death, sanity and social inequality.
B. J. Harrison started his Classic Tales Podcast back in 2007, wanting to breathe new life into classic stories. He masterfully plays with a wide array of voices and accents and has since then produced over 500 audiobooks. Now in collaboration with SAGA Egmont, his engaging narration of these famous classics is available to readers everywhere.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) was an American writer, journalist, and a member of the school of naturalism. His novels explore the social problems that characterized industrial America. His magnum opus is "An American Tragedy", an immense novel that traces the rise and fall of Clyde Griffiths, a desperate seeker after success. His other notable works are "Sister Carrie", "The Titan", and "The Financier".
Quakers de stricte observance, Hannah et Rufus Barnes déménagent dans le New Jersey sans imaginer un seul instant que ce départ sera à l'origine de tant de bouleversements.Leur fils Solon, amoureux fou d'une jeune fille riche, Benecia Wallin, l'épouse malgré leur différence de milieu. Le jeune couple s'installe à Philadelphie où, grâce aux relations de sa belle-famille, il se voit offrir un emploi dans une banque dont les pratiques entrent rapidement en conflit avec son éthique. Il essaie d'intervenir contre l'immoralité et la rapacité de la banque, mais se heurte à un mur.Les valeurs morales issues de la tradition quaker sont également bafouées par ses propres enfants, son monde se désagrège...Publié à titre posthume, roman ultime, rageur et passionnant, Le Rempart clôt de manière magistrale l'oeuvre immense de Theodore Dreiser. Journaliste engagé, militant socialiste, romancier hors norme, Theodore Dreiser (1871 - 1945) est considéré comme le père de la littérature américaine du XXe siècle. Le grand critique et théoricien des lettres américaines H. L. Mencken dit que « Dreiser a joué dans la littérature américaine le rôle qu'a joué Darwin dans la biologie, il l'a transformée radicalement ». Les plus grands écrivains américains se sont, en effet, réclamés de son héritage. Traduit de l'anglais par Paul Roche
Zbrodnia i kara w realiach ameryka´nskiej prosperity.
Na Clyde'a Griffithsa spadaja konsekwencje jego podwójnego zycia i zlamania zasad panujacych w firmie stryja. W momencie, gdy mezczyzna planuje zareczyny z bogata Sandra, jego porzucona kochanka informuje go o ciazy. Clyde próbuje doprowadzi´c do usuniecia dziecka, ale okazuje sie to nieskuteczne. ´Slub z konieczno´sci, w dodatku z uboga robotnica, nie wchodzi w gre, dlatego mezczyzna obmy´sla inny sposób na pozbycie sie klopotu.
Piszac ksiazke, Dreiser inspirowal sie prawdziwa historia z kroniki kryminalnej.
W 1951 r. George Stevens zekranizowal powie´s´c. W filmie pt. "Miejsce pod slo´ncem" jedna z glównych ról zagrala Elizabeth Taylor.
Naturalistyczne opisy i bezkompromisowo´s´c w kre´sleniu psychologii bohaterów sprawia, ze ksiazke z pewno´scia docenia milo´snicy pisarstwa Émila Zoli czy Gabrieli Zapolskiej.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) - ameryka´nski powie´sciopisarze i dziennikarz, przedstawiciel naturalizmu w literaturze. Zafascynowany natura i psychologia ludzi niemoralnych, którzy jednak uparcie pra do przodu i osiagaja swoje cele. Do jego najslynniejszych dziel naleza "Siostra Carrie" i "Tragedia ameryka´nska". Dreiser wywarl ogromny wplyw na kolejne pokolenia pisarzy, dzi´s jest uznawany za jednego z gigantów literatury ameryka´nskiej.
Zbrodnia i kara w realiach ameryka´nskiej prosperity.
Nieszcze´sliwy wypadek samochodowy sprawia, ze wokól grupy znajomych Clyde'a Griffithsa zaczyna krazy´c policja. Aby unikna´c wiezienia, mezczyzna wyjezdza z miasta i podejmuje ciezka prace pod zmienionym nazwiskiem, byle tylko przezy´c. Tak mijaja mu lata, az pewnego razu spotyka w Chicago innego uczestnika wypadku. Seria sprzyjajacych zbiegów okoliczno´sci doprowadza go do zatrudnienia w firmie swojego stryja. Determinacja bratanka robi wrazenie na Samuelu Griffithsie, który niebawem czyni go kierownikiem jednego z oddzialów. Wbrew ostrzezeniom, Clyde wdaje sie w romans z jedna ze swoich pracownic. Jednocze´snie otwiera sie przed nim perspektywa bogatego ozenku z córka fabrykanta.
Piszac ksiazke, Dreiser inspirowal sie prawdziwa historia z kroniki kryminalnej.
W 1951 r. George Stevens zekranizowal powie´s´c. W filmie pt. "Miejsce pod slo´ncem" jedna z glównych ról zagrala Elizabeth Taylor.
Naturalistyczne opisy i bezkompromisowo´s´c w kre´sleniu psychologii bohaterów sprawia, ze ksiazke z pewno´scia docenia milo´snicy pisarstwa Émila Zoli czy Gabrieli Zapolskiej.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) - ameryka´nski powie´sciopisarze i dziennikarz, przedstawiciel naturalizmu w literaturze. Zafascynowany natura i psychologia ludzi niemoralnych, którzy jednak uparcie pra do przodu i osiagaja swoje cele. Do jego najslynniejszych dziel naleza "Siostra Carrie" i "Tragedia ameryka´nska". Dreiser wywarl ogromny wplyw na kolejne pokolenia pisarzy, dzi´s jest uznawany za jednego z gigantów literatury ameryka´nskiej.
Zbrodnia i kara w realiach ameryka´nskiej prosperity.
Clyde Griffiths spedza ubogie dzieci´nstwo jako syn ulicznego kaznodziei. Juz za mlodu buntuje sie przeciwko biedzie i restrykcyjnej moralno´sci, w których dorastal. Szybko znajduje prace i z czasem zmienia zajecia na coraz lepiej platne. Przy okazji zaczyna obraca´c sie w nowym towarzystwie. Ekonomiczna stabilizacja i ekscytujace rozrywki sprawiaja, ze jego zycie wreszcie staje sie radosne. Do czasu, gdy w trakcie jednego z wyjazdów za miasto dochodzi do tragicznego wypadku.
Piszac ksiazke, Dreiser inspirowal sie prawdziwa historia z kroniki kryminalnej.
W 1951 r. George Stevens zekranizowal powie´s´c. W filmie pt. "Miejsce pod slo´ncem" jedna z glównych ról zagrala Elizabeth Taylor.
Naturalistyczne opisy i bezkompromisowo´s´c w kre´sleniu psychologii bohaterów sprawia, ze ksiazke z pewno´scia docenia milo´snicy pisarstwa Émila Zoli czy Gabrieli Zapolskiej.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) - ameryka´nski powie´sciopisarze i dziennikarz, przedstawiciel naturalizmu w literaturze. Zafascynowany natura i psychologia ludzi niemoralnych, którzy jednak uparcie pra do przodu i osiagaja swoje cele. Do jego najslynniejszych dziel naleza "Siostra Carrie" i "Tragedia ameryka´nska". Dreiser wywarl ogromny wplyw na kolejne pokolenia pisarzy, dzi´s jest uznawany za jednego z gigantów literatury ameryka´nskiej.
W ´swiecie finansjery nawet najlepiej skrojony garnitur nie zmieni ludzkiej natury.
Frank Cowperwood bez zalu porzucil dotychczasowe zycie, rozwiódl sie z zona, po´slubil Aileen Butler i przeprowadzil sie wraz z nia do Chicago. Przy´swieca mu nowa idea - zamierza wykorzysta´c polityczne zawirowania, by w procesie bankructwa przeja´c system kolei ulicznych. Zawziety Cowperwood nie cieszy sie spoleczna sympatia, a i w nowym zwiazku nie wiedzie mu sie najlepiej. Mimo to uparcie dazy do realizacji swoich celów.
Idealna lektura dla milo´sników powie´sci "Wielki Gatsby" Francisa Scotta Fitzgeralda.
Przelom XIX i XX wieku to czas, kiedy najpelniej urzeczywistnia sie ameryka´nski sen. Kilka skutecznych kroków wystarczy, by doj´s´c do wielkiej fortuny. Kilka falszywych ruchów, a mozna straci´c wszystko. Na takim rollercoasterze wytrzymuja tylko najwytrwalsi. Tacy jak Frank Cowperwood.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) - ameryka´nski powie´sciopisarze i dziennikarz, przedstawiciel naturalizmu w literaturze. Zafascynowany natura i psychologia ludzi niemoralnych, którzy jednak uparcie pra do przodu i osiagaja swoje cele. Do jego najslynniejszych dziel naleza "Siostra Carrie" i "Tragedia ameryka´nska". Dreiser wywarl ogromny wplyw na kolejne pokolenia pisarzy, dzi´s jest uznawany za jednego z gigantów literatury ameryka´nskiej.
W ´swiecie finansjery nawet najlepiej skrojony garnitur nie zmieni ludzkiej natury.
Frank Algernon Cowperwood od najmlodszych lat zdradza zdolno´sci do interesów. Juz w wieku 13 lat zarobil poka´zna kwote na sprzedazy mydla, a jako 19-latek jest jednym z najlepszych maklerów w Filadelfii. Ameryka drugiej polowy XX wieku to miejsce, które sprzyja takim jak on. Rodzi sie kapitalizm, a najbardziej wytrwali dorabiaja sie bajecznej fortuny. Frank postanawia zosta´c w ´swiecie finansów kim´s wiecej - chce nie tylko gra´c, ale równiez ustala´c zasady gry. Aby zrealizowa´c swoje ambicje, nie waha sie dziala´c poza prawem. Przyzwyczajony do absolutnego panowania nad sfera materialna, w podobny sposób zaczyna zachowywa´c sie w milo´sci.
Idealna lektura dla milo´sników powie´sci "Wielki Gatsby" Francisa Scotta Fitzgeralda.
Przelom XIX i XX wieku to czas, kiedy najpelniej urzeczywistnia sie ameryka´nski sen. Kilka skutecznych kroków wystarczy, by doj´s´c do wielkiej fortuny. Kilka falszywych ruchów, a mozna straci´c wszystko. Na takim rollercoasterze wytrzymuja tylko najwytrwalsi. Tacy jak Frank Cowperwood.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) - ameryka´nski powie´sciopisarze i dziennikarz, przedstawiciel naturalizmu w literaturze. Zafascynowany natura i psychologia ludzi niemoralnych, którzy jednak uparcie pra do przodu i osiagaja swoje cele. Do jego najslynniejszych dziel naleza "Siostra Carrie" i "Tragedia ameryka´nska". Dreiser wywarl ogromny wplyw na kolejne pokolenia pisarzy, dzi´s jest uznawany za jednego z gigantów literatury ameryka´nskiej.
W ´swiecie finansjery nawet najlepiej skrojony garnitur nie zmieni ludzkiej natury.
Po przeprowadzce Frank Cowperwood calkowicie dal sie pochlona´c przez nowe interesy. Poczatkowo dbal jeszcze o to, by zapewni´c ´swiezo po´slubionej Aileen rozrywke, ale wkrótce i te obowiazki powierzyl swoim zaufanym przyjaciolom. Mloda mezatka wciaz kocha Franka, ale coraz bardziej dokucza jej samotno´s´c i brak czulo´sci. Wieczorami chadza na wesole spotkania miejscowej cyganerii. Wla´snie podczas jednej z takich imprez spotka mezczyzne, którym - jak przyznaje sama przed soba - bardzo by sie zainteresowala, gdyby nie Cowperwood. Polk Lynde jest koneserem damskich serc i wyra´znie dazy do zacie´snienia znajomo´sci z nieznajoma.
Idealna lektura dla milo´sników powie´sci "Wielki Gatsby" Francisa Scotta Fitzgeralda.
Przelom XIX i XX wieku to czas, kiedy najpelniej urzeczywistnia sie ameryka´nski sen. Kilka skutecznych kroków wystarczy, by doj´s´c do wielkiej fortuny. Kilka falszywych ruchów, a mozna straci´c wszystko. Na takim rollercoasterze wytrzymuja tylko najwytrwalsi. Tacy jak Frank Cowperwood.
Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) - ameryka´nski powie´sciopisarze i dziennikarz, przedstawiciel naturalizmu w literaturze. Zafascynowany natura i psychologia ludzi niemoralnych, którzy jednak uparcie pra do przodu i osiagaja swoje cele. Do jego najslynniejszych dziel naleza "Siostra Carrie" i "Tragedia ameryka´nska". Dreiser wywarl ogromny wplyw na kolejne pokolenia pisarzy, dzi´s jest uznawany za jednego z gigantów literatury ameryka´nskiej.
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This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 14 hours
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"Sister Carrie" is a novel by Theodore Dreiser that tells the story of a young woman named Carrie who moves to the city to pursue her American Dream. She starts as a mistress to wealthy men but eventually becomes a famous actress. The plot follows her journey as she navigates relationships and struggles with her own ambitions. The novel received mixed reviews upon publication, with some praising its realism and others criticizing its content. Despite initial low sales, it is now considered one of the greatest American urban novels. Dreiser's writing style has been both praised and criticized, but his depiction of Carrie's life remains influential. The novel has been adapted into a film and a musical, and it continues to be studied and analyzed for its exploration of human nature and the impact of industrialization.
Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 18 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: about 1 hour
"The Financier" is a novel by Theodore Dreiser, inspired by the life of Charles Yerkes, a streetcar tycoon. The story follows Frank Cowperwood, who starts his financial journey by making a profitable deal with soap and later becomes involved in investment and misuse of municipal funds. The Great Chicago Fire leads to his bankruptcy and exposure, and he attempts to avoid jail time through intimidation. The novel includes historical references to figures like Abraham Lincoln and events such as the Battle of Gettysburg. Dreiser modeled the main character after Charles Yerkes and alludes to various artworks and musical preferences of the characters. The book also references literary works like "Jane Eyre" and "Macbeth." Overall, "The Financier" provides a captivating portrayal of financial intrigue and historical context.
Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 12 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: about 1 hour
"Jennie Gerhardt" is a 1911 novel by Theodore Dreiser that follows the life of the destitute young woman, Jennie Gerhardt. After meeting United States Senator George Brander, she becomes pregnant with his child, but he dies before they can marry. Later, she falls in love with Lester Kane, a prosperous manufacturer's son, and moves to Chicago with him. Despite their differences in class, they live together successfully until Kane decides to marry an affluent widow due to family pressure. The story unfolds with Jennie's struggles, losses, and enduring love for Kane. The novel has been compared to Thomas Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles" and has been the subject of critical writing and a film adaptation. "Jennie Gerhardt" is a poignant portrayal of a woman's journey through love, loss, and societal pressures.
This is a story of an innocent, caring, beautiful young girl from and extremely poor family who throughout her life is drawn into affairs with two different men from a much higher social class. How members of her family, the family of one of the wealthy men, and society in general react to her situation is the basis of this story.
The only figure of literary repute who ever rated The Genius" as first among the novels of Theodore Dreiser was Theodore Dreiser," literary historian Larzer Ziff observed. His fifth published novel, The "Genius" was actually the third novel Dreiser began work on and, as his most autobiographical work, remained the novel closest to his heart. He worked on it in stages over a four-year period. The credit he felt he deserved for his honesty about sexual urges and damaged relationships and his original publisher's decision not to stand by the novel in the face of criticism contributed to his lifelong feeling that the book had never been given its due. After An American Tragedy, it is his longest book; the final draft ran to over 700 pages in a close-set type. While the protagonist of the book is in many ways a portrait of its author, Dreiser also loosely based Eugene Witla on some of the painters, artists working in an Ashcan realist style, whom he knew in New York at the time and whose studios he visited. The most likely candidate for a model is Everett Shinn, who painted urban scenes of the kind attributed to Witla and who was known as a promiscuous man. The novel is divided intro three sections: "Youth," "Struggle," and "Revolt." In Book I, Eugene Witla escapes the confines of the small town in Illinois where he has been raised to make his way in Chicago. There he studies painting at the Chicago Art Institute and enjoys the excitement of the city and his first sexual experiences. He becomes engaged to a young woman, Angela Blue, with whom he is intimate before their marriage but, at all times, he finds it difficult to remain faithful. A life based on monogamy seems beyond him. In Book II, Eugene and Angela move to New York City, where he makes a name for himself in the art world as an urban realist but finds his marriage with the increasingly conventional Angela painfully limiting. They travel to Europe, he suffers a breakdown, and they return to New York where Eugene attempts to make a better living in the advertising world. Book III chronicles the deterioration of Eugene and Angela's marriage as he begins an affair with Suzanne Dale.
The saga of Clyde, Roberta, and Sondra continues in volume 2 of 2. Social-climbing Clyde Griffiths wants nothing more than to marry the wealthy Sondra Finchley and ascend to the highest levels of Upstate New York society. However, there is a glaring obstacle in his way: Roberta's pregnancy. Both had hoped to keep their illicit relationship a secret, but if Clyde can't find a doctor willing to help them, something must be done. Perhaps something drastic . . . The tense and thrilling conclusion to Dreiser's genre-defining novel of love, pain, the law, and the spirit.
