Theodore Dreiser, An American Tragedy

Jude Davies (University of Winchester)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

Clyde Griffiths is first seen as a twelve-year old, cringing in embarrassment as his poverty-stricken parents preach in the streets of Kansas City. The date is purposely unspecified, since Dreiser thought of himself as describing a flaw in American society that had persisted from the Gilded Age to the mid-1920s, visible in a series of actual homicides. (

An American Tragedy

is based primarily on one that took place in 1906.) Selfish, but dreamy and pathetic, Clyde Griffiths is hooked on the American dream.

An American Tragedy

tells his story and, in so doing, becomes an exhaustive catalogue of the invidious effects of the ideology of success.

As they grow older, Clyde and his older sister Esta experience sensual and emotional desires “for love, for comfort” denied to them by the

1873 words

Citation: Davies, Jude. "An American Tragedy". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 October 2001 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=6703, accessed 19 March 2024.]

6703 An American Tragedy 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.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.