Table of Contents

For a century, Theodore Dreiser has represented for many readers a rebellious modernism whose novels both critiqued the American dream and embodied a bleakly deterministic perception of life. His first novel, Sister Carrie (1900), was reluctantly published and then ignored by its publisher, who thought the book immoral. Another publisher withdrew his fifth novel, The Genius (1915), rather than face prosecution on obscenity charges. Dreiser did not enjoy widespread popularity and critical acclaim until his masterpiece, An American Tragedy, appeared in 1925. This reference is an authoritative guide to his life and works. Included are several hundred entries on each of Dreiser's books and short stories, as well as magazine and newspaper pieces he collected during his life. Noteworthy uncollected and posthumously collected works are given separate entries, as are major characters in the novels, family members, friends, and other persons important to understanding his writings. There are also entries on Dreiser's publishers, his major influences, the places and events important to his life, and the literary and social contexts of his works. Expert contributors wrote each of the entries, many of which cite works for further reading. The volume closes with a selected bibliography of works by and about Dreiser.

The specially commissioned essays collected in this volume establish new parameters for both scholarly and classroom discussion of Dreiser. This Companion provides fresh perspectives on the frequently read classics, Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy, as well as on topics of perennial interest, such as Dreiser's representation of the city and his prose style. The volume investigates topics such as his representation of masculinity and femininity, and his treatment of ethnicity. It is the most comprehensive introduction to Dreiser's work available.

Hardly shy about himself or his work, Theodore Dreiser knew the value of publicity. Over four decades he often consented to interviews, answering questions about his fiction, his politics, and even previous interviews. Throughout his life Dreiser raised a storm of protest with his realistic novels, blistered public figures and other authors with untempered criticism, scorned pieties masking brutality in law and economics, and expressed a few contradictions of his own. This volume collects for the first time more than seventy interviews. As a group, they show Dreiser dealing with an array of literary and social issues, as well as his lifelong incapacity to mince words. Dreiser is revealed in these interviews as a public figure of epic proportions.

Dreiser's captivating portraits of turn-of-the-century America's famous figures In this volume, liberally seasoned with period illustrations, Yoshinobu Hakutani has collected and annotated a rich selection of Theodore Dreiser's pre-fame writings on the cultural milieu of his day. In these brief essays, Dreiser sallies into the vibrant world of creative work in turn-of-the-century America. He inspects the eccentric and revealing paraphernalia of artists' studios, probes the work habits of writers, and goes behind the scenes in the popular song-writing business, where this week's celebrity is next week's has-been. He profiles famous figures and introduces numerous women artists, novelists, and musicians, including the prolific and tireless Amelia Barr (mother of fourteen children and author of thirty-two novels), the illustrator Alice B. Stephens, and the opera singer Lillian Nordica. Hakutani's notes provide biographical detail on dozens of now-obscure individuals mentioned by Dreiser.

An American writer of the naturalist school, Theodore Dreiser produced controversial novels, often featuring protagonists that succeeded at their objectives in spite of their lack of morality. Celebrated novels such as ‘Sister Carrie’ and ‘An American Tragedy’ led to Dreiser’s nomination for the Nobel Prize in Literature, establishing his name as an American master. This comprehensive eBook presents Dreiser’s collected works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Dreiser’s life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * All 6 novels in the US public domain, with individual contents tables * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Includes Dreiser’s plays, first time in digital print * A selection of Dreiser’s non-fiction * Special ‘Contextual Pieces’ section, with reviews, letters and essays evaluating Dreiser’s contribution to literature * Features Dreiser’s autobiography ‘A Book About Myself’ - discover the author’s personal and literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please note: two novels and a short story collection published after 1922 cannot appear in this collection due to copyright. When new texts enter the public domain, they will be added to the eBook as a free update. Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels Sister Carrie Jennie Gerhardt The Financier The Titan The “Genius” The Shorter Fiction Free and Other Stories The Plays Plays of the Natural and Supernatural The Hand of the Potter The Non-Fiction A Traveler at Forty A Hoosier Holiday Twelve Men Hey Rub-A-Dub-Dub The Contextual Pieces Contextual Articles, Essays and Reviews The Autobiography A Book About Myself Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks