Sister Carrie - Theodore Dreiser - 1900
Introduction
Considered by many to be the first great novel of the twentieth century, Sister Carrie (1900) has nevertheless been a troubled—and troubling—work from its very beginning. The inspiration for Dreiser's debut novel is a scandal within his own family, as his sister Emma once ran away with a man who had stolen from his employer's safe, a situation recreated in the most dramatic moment of the novel. The novel's original publisher, Frank Doubleday, was scandalized by a work that seemed to reward immorality, and tried to bury the book with a small print run. Discouraged by a seeming lack of critical or popular response, Dreiser did not complete another novel for ten years.
It is often noted that Carrie's story is quite similar to other literature quite popular at the time, the "rags to riches" tales of Horatio Alger. Carrie begins in poverty, gets a glimpse of a better world than what she is used to, works hard to succeed, faces major setbacks, but is finally rewarded with a meteoric rise to unimagined heights. In Carrie's case, however, "work" is a very broad term, as it is her feminine charms, her ability to charm and win over men—and in turn, be won over by them—that is her main occupation.
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