Theodore-Dreiser

TheodoreDreiser西奥多·德莱塞（1871—1945）BriefintroductionHewasanAmericanauthorandaoutstandingrepresentativeofnaturalism,whosenovelsdepictreal-lifesubjectsinaharshlight.Dreiser'snovelswereheldtobeamoral,andhebattledthroughouthiscareeragainstcensorshipandpopulartaste.Hisprincipalconcernwaswiththeconflictbetweenhumanneedsandthedemandsofsocietyformaterialsuccess.Naturalismwasaliterarymovementtakingplacefrom1880sto1940sthatuseddetailedrealismtosuggestthatsocialconditions,heredity,andenvironmenthadinescapableforceinshapinghumancharacter.Hislife•DreiserwasborninIndianain1871,theninthchildofGermanimmigrants.•Hischildhoodwasspentinextremepovertyandhewasforcedtoleavehomeinsearchofworkattheageoffifteen.•AftersomemonthsatIndianaUniversity,hebecameareporterontheChicagoGlobebeforearrivinginNewYorkin1894.•In1898,hemarriedwithSaraWhite,aschoolteacher,butthemarriagewasunhappy.Hislife•Hisfirstnovel,SisterCarrie,wasrejectedbecauseofhisrelentlesshonestyinpresentingthetruenatureofAmericanlife.•Hefacedeveryformofattackthataseriousartistcouldencounter:misunderstanding,misrepresentation,artisticisolationandcommercialseduction.Buthesurvivedtoleadtherebellionofthe1900s.•HediedofheartfailureonDecember28,1945,beforecompletingthelastchapterofTheStoic.Hisworks•SisterCarrie1900•JennieGerhardt1911•AnAmericanTragedy1925•TheFinancier1912•TheTitan1914•TheStoic(notpublisheduntil1947afterhedied)•TheGenius1915•DreiserLooksatRussia1928trilogyofdesire欲望三部曲Writingstyle•Withoutgoodstructure•Deficientcharacterization•Lackinimagination•Simplewords•Journalisticmethod•TechniquesinpaintingMajorFeaturesofTheodoreDreiser•Hestresseddeterminisminhisnovels.•Hedevelopedthecapacityforphotographicandrelentlessobservation,therebytruthfullyreflectingthesocietyandpeopleofhistime.•Hisnarrativemethodisnaturalandfreefromartifice.•Hisnovelsarefulloftragedies,serioussubjectsandmiserablesideofthesociety.•HispowerfulfranknesswidensthesocialandsexualrangeinAmerica.Evaluation•HeisregardedasanoutstandingrepresentativeofAmericannaturalism.•ItisinDreiser’sworksthatAmericannaturalismissaidtohavecomeofage.•HisworksarepowerfulintheirportrayalofthechangingAmericanlife,buthisstyleisconsideredcrude.•HeisthepioneerandrepresentativewriterofAmericanmodernnovels,andheisconsideredasoneofthebigthreeofAmericannovelistwithHemingwayandFaulkner.