Overview

A fresh and unusual study of Dreiser which stresses the political and philosophical theories basic to his novels. Theodore Dreiser, one of our foremost writers, has been read and reread, and abundant biographical details have been made known to shed light on his work. Yet what has remained to be done is what Richard Lehan has done here in this fresh and unusual portrait of Dreiser--to re-create and relate to the works themselves the usable past out of which Dreiser wrote, the turn-of-the-century America with all of its materialism, crassness, and business immorality which attracted and re­pelled Dreiser and out of which came his created world of fiction. A unique feature of this book which will be of interest to Dreiser scholars is the generous use made here of original holographs from the Theodore Dreiser Collection at the Uni­versity of Pennsylvania. Dreiser's characters must be understood for what they tell us about the success-driven men and women of America, Mr. Lehan maintains. They do not retreat into the world of the dead past in search of genteel fulfillment, in search of ""consciousness."" They struggle in the modern city, chase the fantasies of their desire, and break down the doors of con­vention--very much as Dreiser himself did in his personal escape and struggle and conflict with materialistic and altru­istic motives which drove him compulsively and made a tor­mented man of him--a point missed by many critics.

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9780809303823

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Reviews

“This is unquestionably one of the best books yet to appear on Theodore Dreiser. Mr. Lehan understands both Dreiser and his novels, and that understanding is made available to the reader in this generally sensible and readable book.”          —Modern Fiction Studies “[This] book is without doubt the most complete, most useful study made thus far of Dreiser’s novels as they relate to his life and altering personal, political, and artistic theories.”—The CEA Critic “Lehan has written a lucid, thorough, and often perceptive book which concen­trates on the relationships between the novelist’s life, his endless efforts at self-understanding, and his fiction... Highly recommended.”— Library Journal

Author Information

Richard Lehan is Associate Professor of English at the Uni­versity of California at Los Angeles. His previous books include F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Craft of Fiction.

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