Arrowsmith

(1925) was Sinclair Lewis's third major novel, following the successful publication of his critically acclaimed and best-selling novels,

Main Street

(1920) and

Babbitt

(1922). Although his two earlier novels had attracted widespread attention, Lewis had been criticized because his satirical depiction of American life featured no really admirable characters. In spite of the fact that

Arrowsmith

exposed many of the faults of the medical profession, from medical school through small town practice, public health work, and medical research, Lewis's protagonist, Martin Arrowsmith, is an idealistic doctor and scientist who attempts to circumvent the pitfalls that lie in wait for medical doctors practising in the USA during the early twentieth century.

As a boy Martin is introduced to

1730 words

Citation: Fleming, Robert E.. "Arrowsmith". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 18 December 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6509, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6509 Arrowsmith 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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