American Tragedy

by Theodore Dreiser

book data

2,129 ratings, 3.80 average rating, 247 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		30%
4		33%
3		24%
2		7%
1		3%

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published

October 2000 by Tandem Library (first published 1925)

details

School & Library Binding

isbn

0808509519 (isbn13: 9780808509516)

description

The classic depiction of the harsh realities of American life, the dark side of the American Dream, and one man's doomed pursuit of love and success..…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3,664)

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Jul 19, 2008

Lori rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

bookshelves: -classics-

Read in January, 2008

recommends it for: Classics readers, Realists, 20th Century American Authors

Yes, I know this is Dreiser and I have heard all the caveats against reading him...His mundane style and his need of an editor...the pounding over the reader's head with his points...

I was unprepared for the power of this prose to be sure.

But the story overwhelmed me. The character of Clyde became real for me. I have known so many people like him...young, vaccilating, dreaming of better things, chafing at the position in life to which they have been placed by an acciden...more

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Jun 04, 2008

Ann rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: people who like long books!

This book is a wide-ranging indictment of American values, circa 1910s or 1920s. Written by Theodore Dreiser in 1925, it presents his view that class distinctions, inherited wealth, and stringent social restrictions make a mockery of the so-called American Dream of a meritocracy. Other topics that Dreiser takes on are the not-so-just justice system, organized and independent religions, the shallow lives of the wealthy, the press and many more.

The novel begins with a look at the const...more

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

1 comment

Aug 01, 2007

Kelly rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

bookshelves: 20th-century-classics, general-fiction

Read in November, 2007

Wow! Dreiser is no joke. Make no mistake; An American Tragedy is long and often times obsessive in its detail. There are approximately 500 pages of exposition leading up to the climatic moment! In truth it took everything in me to finish this book and not because I wasn't enjoying the story. It just seemed like it would never end. Yet in my moments of weakness, when I felt like I just couldn't go on, the story of Clyde Griffiths and his struggle to claw his way up the American social lad...more

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Jun 16, 2007

Wendolyn Aragon rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

bookshelves: american-studies-musts, changed-my-life, required-then-desired

Read in August, 2008

Yes this book is long, yes this book takes 50 words to tell the reader one idea. But for the time it was written (1920's) this book touches on taboo topics that still stir emotions in many Americans in our current time such as abortion and capital punishment. It is an amazing social study of the lengths that people will go to to achieve the American Dream.

If you really can't get through it then go to your local video store and rent "A Place in the Sun" for the cliff note...more

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Nov 18, 2007

Jonny rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in November, 2007

A story based on a real-life death/murder in the Adirondacks in New York State. It is about class, scandal, the legal system, hypocrisy, and social climbing. Kind of long, dated, but rather compelling. It tackles taboo subjects of premarital sex, abortion, and the stark contrasts between wealth and poverty--rather daring for the times. No one comes out unscathed, really, in this social commentary in the form of a novel.

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Jan 02, 2008

Sarah rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in February, 1998

recommends it for: No One

The tragedy is having to have read those 930 pages....

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Mar 30, 2009

Saxon rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

bookshelves: school

Read in April, 2009

recommended to Saxon by: some old, liberal lesbian.
recommends it for: people who like classic, pre-WW 2 American Lit.

Undoubtedly, this is a great story. Dreiser methodically, and often painstakenly, examines the condition of America through the life of the young and impressionable Clyde Griffiths. As we follow Clyde from his humble upbringing as the son of street preachers in Kansas City to Chicago to upstate New York in pursuit of altering his lot in life, Dreiser seemingly leaves no aspect of society untouched by his prodding, examination and questioning of its legitimacy, foundations and effect on us as hum...more Undoubtedly, this is a great story. Dreiser methodically, and often painstakenly, examines the condition of America through the life of the young and impressionable Clyde Griffiths. As we follow Clyde from his humble upbringing as the son of street preachers in Kansas City to Chicago to upstate New York in pursuit of altering his lot in life, Dreiser seemingly leaves no aspect of society untouched by his prodding, examination and questioning of its legitimacy, foundations and effect on us as humans. Then after spending over 600 pages, he takes the liberty of utilizing another 200 pages deconstructing everything we have read in the form of a murder trial. Balls! By the end of the novel, not much as been left out. He's got it all -- religion, wealth, class, abortion, sex, murder, law, politics, on and on. It is, in many ways, the embodiment of the "great, American novel"--if such a thing can even be characterized.

Unfortunately, Dreiser's prose is not compelling, whatsoever. This makes for large chunks of the book being extremely melodramatic, long-winded or just plain boring. His style could be a product of the time period in which he was writing. However, in comparison to some of his contemporaries (Thomas Wolfe, Fitzgerald--"The Great Gatsby" came out the same year, etc), Dreiser's dull style and infatuation with large, ambiguous words ("sycophantic" is used at least 35 times) lacks many of his contemporaries potency of language, subtlety or use of basic devices to get the reader invested or (at least interested) in the events of the story. Instead, he slowly, and almost offensively, takes you by the hand, making sure that even someone with the intelligence of a fourth grader could get his points.

That being said, Dreiser is able shore up these shortcomings with the plot he has laid out which keeps your attention for no other reason that it is such a vast undertaking he has undergone in writing this story that you begin to feel it your duty to at least finish it. Which is a good choice because the trial section the other 2/3 of the novel worth it--for the most part. And admittedly, I still would suggest this book for those who are fans of American literature. I commend Dreiser for championing the working class and although he is careful not to fully reveal his own stance on various issues, this book is actually quite progressive in many ways (not to many writers were examining the difficulties of obtaining forms of birth control during this time--something Dreiser dedicates a large section of the book on). This allows An American Tragedy to still hold up as more than a mere glance into a time period that no longer exist but rather as a contribution to a discourse that is still very much going on. (less)

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Jan 22, 2009

Racheal rated it:

(review of isbn 1931082316)

The obsessive level of detail leaves nothing to the imagination, and indeed, I think that the main power of this book is its ability to sear through the social constructs of morality, to surgically examine the failings of both cultural and individual traits that could lead to a gruesome murder and subsequent remorse.

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Dec 26, 2007

Mike rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Almost journalistic in its descriptions, this is a great story of a young man ashamed of his origins and his aspiring to accede to high society. Clyde Griffiths is a tragic character and should serve as an example for all who aspire to shed their humble beginnings.

I'm a great fan of all literature that offers a glimpse of the society of any given time period. All the Dreiser novels I've read do justice to the times they describe. Very engaging to see the United States at a time wh...more

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Aug 16, 2009

Chad rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in August, 2009

In the tragedies that I studied as a high school student the unfortunate protagonist was always a very important person such as a king or noble. Clyde Griffiths is no such thing, but I believe I see why this makes sense. In the United States our heroes are not statesmen or warriors, but the mythical “self-made” men who are born into poverty but rise financially and socially by their own skills, effort, and luck. Clyde is precisely this, and thus the perfect American tragic hero.

B...more In the tragedies that I studied as a high school student the unfortunate protagonist was always a very important person such as a king or noble. Clyde Griffiths is no such thing, but I believe I see why this makes sense. In the United States our heroes are not statesmen or warriors, but the mythical “self-made” men who are born into poverty but rise financially and socially by their own skills, effort, and luck. Clyde is precisely this, and thus the perfect American tragic hero.

But what is his fatal flaw? It would be easy to blame his downfall on lust, for his every misstep is caused by seeking after one woman or another. I do not think, however, that this is what Dreiser has in mind. Rather, he does little to convince that this is not a burden of all mankind. Griffiths’s specific flaw, in my opinion, is that same financial and social ambition that makes him an American hero. It was his desperation for social advantage that led him to the Green-Davidson, his desire to fit in with his co-workers that introduced him to alcohol and sex, and his ambition that caused him to seek out Hortense rather than someone more obtainable. He traveled to Lycurgus with an expectation that his lot in life could improve, and he seems more infatuated with Sondra’s wealth and lifestyle than her person. Even at the very end he remains ashamed of his shabby youth and stricken by the thought of all the luxury that others are enjoying.

My edition of the book tells essentially the entire story on the dust jacket, enhancing the feeling as a reader that fate has captured Clyde: we can only read on to the inevitable conclusion. Most of Dreiser’s characters are quite well-defined, as should be expected of such a lengthy work. The length is not absurd, but the rehashing of the entire plot in the trial does get a bit tedious. The remainder of Book III is quite good, providing a more compelling view of a man awaiting execution than Darkness At Noon, combined with the wrenching conscience of a guilty man. Although it was written three quarters of a century ago, the book explores themes that remain controversial today such as abortion and capital punishment. This was definitely one of the better American novels that I have read.
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May 12, 2009

Trena rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in May, 2009

I beg of you, do not start this book. It is too damn long. At one of my book clubs we were deciding what classic to read next. We had all enjoyed Sister Carrie when we'd read it in high school or college, so we decided to try out another Dreiser and chose this one.

At the beginning, I was digging it. The slangy writing was fun--it was interesting to think back to a time when "golly gee" was the cutting edge way the cool kids talked. I enjoyed the informal, stream-of-con...more

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Jul 10, 2007

Chrissie rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in November, 2007

i couldn't decide between three and four stars on this puppy.

parts of it were real real good, and i loved the overall story, but it could also be a bit repetitively slow. one of the few books i've read that really pushes the reader inexorably towards the ending while still keeping him fighting.

ultimately pushing it into the four category was dreiser's random yet totally awesome use of SUPER-obscure words.

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Dec 13, 2009

Grace rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

bookshelves: classics, fiction, read-in-2009

Read in December, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Oh how happy I was to finally finish reading this behemoth of a paperback novel... I originally picked it up from a banned book display at my local library. The fact that it was banned plus the interested premise on the back cover had me quite intrigued. It is a compelling premise. A young man rebels against his missionary and nomadic upbringing by striving to become all of the things his parents warned him about. In his desperate attempts to achieve his ultimate goals - money, fine clothes, bea...more Oh how happy I was to finally finish reading this behemoth of a paperback novel... I originally picked it up from a banned book display at my local library. The fact that it was banned plus the interested premise on the back cover had me quite intrigued. It is a compelling premise. A young man rebels against his missionary and nomadic upbringing by striving to become all of the things his parents warned him about. In his desperate attempts to achieve his ultimate goals - money, fine clothes, beautiful women, sex, and esteem within a group of male friends - he finds himself making poor choices that result in the death of his secret, working class lover and charged with her murder.

Sounds like a must-read, right? It sounds like one of those classics you wished you were required to read in high school because it would have kept your attention. Not quite... Dreiser's writing style assumes that his readers are definitely not the most intelligent people because he beats you over the head with everything, repeating and reiterating every plot development and emotion Clyde, the male main character, feels in all of its shallow and mundane glory. He is also painfully unfamiliar with the writing adage, "show, don't tell," and I'm convinced that he could have easily trimmed two hundred pages from this manuscript by cutting down on the telling and repetitions.

The writing style created characters that were vapid, shallow, and wholly unlikeable. I found it incredibly hard to feel for Clyde, his factory working secret girlfriend Roberta Alden, or his high society love interest Sondra Finchley, otherwise known as Miss X in court proceedings.

Then there is the wealthy branch of the Griffiths family who own the collar factory in upstate New York. His uncle Samuel gives Clyde a chance at making something of himself by providing him with a job because of guilt he harbors for how his father treated Clyde's father. Nothing else. They leave him to fend for himself, which I found rather unlikely considering the family was so concerned with social appearances. And if this family was truly one of the most upstanding families in the town, the society A-list if you will, why weren't Clyde's cousins including on his outings with Sondra and her other friends, considering Sondra and Clyde's cousin Bella were supposed to be good friends?

The final straw for me was the geography of Books Two and Three - the parts taking place in upstate New York. As a resident of upstate New York and being familiar with the area between Utica and Albany, I appreciated Dreiser's use of small town names - Amsterdam, Gloversville, Fonda... What I did not appreciate (or understand) is why he made up county names. If you are going to go to all the trouble of using correct towns, why wouldn't you use the correct counties too? There is no Mimico County in New York. Maybe he got it confused with Montgomery County, which sounds like it would have been the county the book would be located in in real life. Minor details like that irk me.

The book slowly started to redeem itself in the last 50 pages, once Clyde was on murderers' row after his conviction, but it still wasn't enough to make me like this book. But reading about his change of mind and heart while in prison and his eventual last walk and death by electric chair was incredibly powerful and thought provoking. For that alone, I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I'd recommend it to anyone. (less)

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Feb 27, 2010

Kaci added it (review of isbn 0451527704)

Well, I finished the book. It took a long time. Once the action started, I actually kind of liked it. I would say that it started roughly around page 300. Then even that part grew slow, and then it picked up again when he started to plot murder. I don't know. My overall reaction to this book is that it was pure self-indulgence on the part of Theodore Dreiser as to the length of the novel. It could've easily been told, with the same themes of the American Dream of money and power and beaut...more

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Oct 13, 2009

Tim rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in January, 2005

Can you be quite glad you read an 800-plus page book that could stand to have 300 pages trimmed from it? You can.

"An American Tragedy" is, indeed, a worthwhile read. That said, I can't imagine ever reading it again. This 1925 novel takes a dark look at the American dream as the lead character springs from humble beginnings and forgets himself in his rise, killing his girlfriend (in the last moment, intentional or not?) and finally being destroyed by his actions. If the firs...more

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Oct 27, 2009

Karen rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in July, 2009

I started this book 3 different times before I finally forced myself to finish it. I HATE starting a book and not finishing. I thought maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind when had put it down before...or maybe I was "too young to appreciate it." Not so. I wanted to read it because it takes place near where I grew up. And I'm kind of a sucker for true crime. But UGH. BORING. There was maybe one chapter where I did not feel as though I was forcing myself to keep going. And that was...more

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Mar 17, 2009

Alex rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

The novel pivots on an issue that even Obama said was above his paygrade to render a judgment on. The issue isn't the moral center of the book, but it projects the book into the future indefinitely. When I read the book 15 years ago, I thought, hey, this is the Great American Novel that everyone talks about, but no one gives creedance to, either its existence or possibility. In the same way that Nabokov's Lolita may be a stand in for America the seductress, the protagonist An American Tragedy, ...more

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Nov 08, 2009

Lindsey rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in March, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 24, 2009

Bob Schuman rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

bookshelves: top100fictionof1900s

Read in November, 2009

A good book from the Top 100 list but ~900 pages long. This was a record breaker...I had to renew it at the library 5 times. After the 3rd time they actually made me bring it back and it had to stay on the shelf for 24 hours. Not surprisingly, nobody took it out.

It was worth sticking with it. If you have a few months to spare, I would recommend this book.

This is a really good depiction of what can go wrong in the life of an 18-21 year old and the consequences that go wi...more

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Apr 27, 2009

David Ireland rated it:

(review of isbn 0451527704)

Read in June, 2009

Book One was fantastic. Clyde gets away from a dull religious family with a sexy job at a posh hotel. Turn of the century teens drinking, flirting, trying to get laid. Big dramatic ending. 4 stars.

Book Two is where the story from the dust jacket starts. And the weaknesses start to show. It's far too long. We meet dull people who have little impact on the story: Clyde's female cousins (particularly the homely one), his aunt, many of the factory workers, Roberta's boring religi...more

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