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The City And Individuals In Theodore Dreiser's Novels

Posted on:2012-06-19Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:X L WangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2215330362961915Subject:Comparative Literature and World Literature
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The American writer Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945) lived from 1870s to 1940s, an era when American urbanization got mature. In this period , the American economy is booming with people flocking into cities ,while the society is experiencing a tremendous transformation. Dreiser moved to cities from his hometown , setting his novels in Chicago , New York etc. His novels embody his ultimate concern: the arrivers are shaped by the city, which is materially rich and economically flourishing ,but lacking in a sense of happiness, they taste an alienation life feeling.I will present my viewpoint in five parts:The introduction is my study purpose and the review of Dreiser study . In Chapter 1,I will retell Dreiser's city experience and city writing , taking the background of American urbanization and social transformation into account. As an immigrant and a novelist , Dreiser is typical in experiencing and writing the cities especially Chicago and New York , where the worship toward money is popular and polarization between the rich and the poor is sharp. And this worship and polarization become his source of writing. In Chapter 2 , I focus on discussing Dreiser's spacial representation and the influence urban space has on his protagonists. In Dreiser's novels, department stores, shopping malls and streets stand for material desire and attract protagonists who are fascinated by commodity to get lost in a world of material.; Domestic space forms a contrast with the"hotel -pattern"dwelling place. And the labyrinth-like hotels indicate that the protagonists who leave home and become"rootless"will be adrift all the time. In Chapter 3, I analyse"the protagonists'urbanization"and their emotional state in a society dominated by commercial economy. By selling what they possess( youth ,beauty and talent ),Dreiser's protagonists climb to the top of the social ladder ,but they lack the ability to love; they follow an unrestricted sex principle, with the result that they cann't form an intimate relationship with others and they cann't divert themselves from the sense of loneliness and unhappiness. The last part is my conclusion.
Keywords/Search Tags:Dreiser, City, Space, "The Protagonists'Urbanization"
PDF Full Text Request
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