Works

Literary career  

  The first significant work by Theodore Dreiser was his novel Sister Carrie ( 1900). The book describes the life of a poor country girl who goes to Chicago in search of work. Hardly had the book appeared when it was pronounced immoral and was withdrawn from print. However, in 1907, it became impossible to conceal it from public, and it then appeared in an American edition. Only in ten years in 1911 was Dreiser`s second novel Jenny Gerhardt published. It is a life-story of a girl. The book roused further storm of criticisim from readers and publishers who declared it immoral.

  The Financier ( 1912) and The Titan ( 1914) together with The Stoic ( published posthumously in 1947) form The Thrilogy of Desire. Its purpose was to show the ways of American big business at the end of 19th century. The chief character of all the three novels, Cowperwood, is a typical representative of that big business.

  The Genius ( 1915) is the tragic story of a young painter who breaks down under the cruel injustice of bourgeois America.

  An American Tragedy ( 1925) is Dreiser`s best known novel. It is the story of a young American who is corrupted by the morals of American capitalist society and he becomes a criminal and murderer. The novel shows the American way of life with its contrast of poverty and wealth. 

  Dreiser supported the working-class movement in America and wrote some publicist works- Tragic America ( 1931) and America Is Worth Saving ( 1941). During the last years of his life he worked at the novels published posthumously- The Bulwark ( 1941) and The Stoic ( 1947).