Centerstage - Chicago's Original City Guide

Theodore Dreiser grew up in a large, poor family in Terre Haute, Indiana. Several of his brothers and sisters would later rescue Dreiser at low points in his career - two of his protagonists were based on sisters, and his brother, Paul, sent Dreiser to a resort when he was broke. A high school teacher paid to send him to Indiana University for one year, but Dreiser did not fit in, and he left college to become a reporter. Newspapering took him to Chicago, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and New York City, where he gathered his first observations of the American cities that would play large roles in his upcoming novels.

Dreiser's novels are prime examples of literary naturalism, with characters driven by selfish motives and influenced by the privileges and limitations of social class. He was often criticized for telling amoral tales that could outrage readers or convince them that bad decisions would be rewarded. Among his most significant influences are Herbert Spencer and Honore de Balzac. Dreiser was a finalist for the Nobel Prize in 1930; when Sinclair Lewis won, he acknowledged Dreiser in his speech.

His first novel, "Sister Carrie," based on the misadventures of his own sister, sold very poorly at first, and Dreiser lashed out against the publisher, Doubleday Page. Dreiser despaired of ever succeeding as a writer and resigned himself to life as a laborer in the Brooklyn slums. During these dark days Dreiser wrote a journal; although he intended it for personal use only, it was discovered and published in 1983. When his brother, a composer, found out about Dreiser's bad luck, he plucked him out of his tenement and, much to Mrs. Dreiser's relief, sent him to a resort for the wealthy. Dreiser regained his courage and wrote "Jennie Gerhardt," based on the life of another sister. "Jennie" was a hit, and led readers to rediscover "Sister Carrie."

Just as his writing career was taking off, Dreiser separated from his first wife, Sara Osborne "Jug" White. His books after this point convey his philosophy more clearly, because Dreiser had always depended on the suggestions and criticism of Jug (who was also a reporter) and other friends. He married once more, in 1944, the year before he died.

Another of Dreiser's best-known novels is "An American Tragedy" (1925), which was adapted for the screen in 1951. "American Tragedy" is the story of a man driven to commit murder by the desire for financial gain, which he believes is the central part of the American dream. Clyde Griffiths wants to kill his poor, pregnant lover so he can marry his rich, beautiful lover. When the poor woman dies accidentaly, Clyde's plot comes to light, and a jury finds him guilty of murder.

Works:

• Sister Carrie, 1900
• Jennie Gerhardt, 1911
• The Financier, 1912
• A Traveler at Forty, 1913
• The Titan, 1914
• A Hoosier Holiday, 1916
• Plays of the Natural and Supernatural, 1916
• The Hand of the Potter, 1919
• Twelve Men, 1919
• Hey Rub-A-Dub-Dub: A Book of Essays and Philosophy, 1920
• A Book About Myself, 1922
• Moods, 1922
• The Color of a Great City, 1923
• An American Tragedy, 1925 (film adaptation, 1951)
• Chains, 1927
• Free and Other Stories, 1928
• Dreiser Looks at Russia, 1928
• A Gallery of Women, 1929
• My City, 1929
• Epitaph, 1930
• Fine Furniture, 1930
• Dawn, 1931
• Tragic America, 1932
• America is Worth Saving, 1941

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