A Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia

(Hardback)

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Description

For a century, Theodore Dreiser has represented for many readers a rebellious modernism whose novels both critiqued the American dream and embodied a bleakly deterministic perception of life. His first novel, Sister Carrie (1900), was reluctantly published and then ignored by its publisher, who thought the book immoral. Another publisher withdrew his fifth novel, The Genius (1915), rather than face prosecution on obscenity charges. Dreiser did not enjoy widespread popularity and critical acclaim until his masterpiece, An American Tragedy, appeared in 1925. This reference is an authoritative guide to his life and works. Included are several hundred entries on each of Dreiser's books and short stories, as well as magazine and newspaper pieces he collected during his life. Noteworthy uncollected and posthumously collected works are given separate entries, as are major characters in the novels, family members, friends, and other persons important to understanding his writings. There are also entries on Dreiser's publishers, his major influences, the places and events important to his life, and the literary and social contexts of his works. Expert contributors wrote each of the entries, many of which cite works for further reading. The volume closes with a selected bibliography of works by and about Dreiser.

Reviews

"The new Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia is a handsome piece of work which shows thorough and responsible attention to its subject and careful quality control. Keith Newlin, the coeditor of Dreiser Studies, has assembled a roster of contributors that includes many of the leading Dreiser scholars of this generation....The entries are notably well-written, and Newlin has delimited his topic intelligently, focusing not only on Dreiser's texts, but also on the biographical and contextual matter of Dreiser's richly varied public and personal life....[a] neatly cross-referenced compendium of information about the life and works of one of our most important authors....This volume will serve its readers very well."-American Literary Realism
[a] major contribution to Dreiser scholarship, perhaps the most important book since the Swanberg biography, almost forty years ago....[a] book that should be on every Dreiserian's shelf.... A Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia will long be the standard source of reference for the study of Dreiser-the man, his works, his world. Anyone interested in Dreiser will immediately recognize the extreme usefulness of this book and will appreciate the immense amount of labor that went in its making. Thanks are due to the contributors-and especially to Keith Newlin, for the extraordinary task of overseeing this project. [c]ongratulations on a difficult job, well done.-Dreiser Studies
[a]n insightful guide to the essential facts surrounding this prolific author's life and works....Highly recommended. All levels.-Choice
The new Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia is a handsome piece of work which shows thorough and responsible attention to its subject and careful quality control. Keith Newlin, the coeditor of Dreiser Studies, has assembled a roster of contributors that includes many of the leading Dreiser scholars of this generation....The entries are notably well-written, and Newlin has delimited his topic intelligently, focusing not only on Dreiser's texts, but also on the biographical and contextual matter of Dreiser's richly varied public and personal life....[a] neatly cross-referenced compendium of information about the life and works of one of our most important authors....This volume will serve its readers very well.-American Literary Realism
This encyclopedia provides undergraduate- and graduate-level students with a guide to Dreiser's 24 books, more than 870 magazine and newspaper articles, stories, poems, and essays....This volume would be a worthwhile supplemental addition to academic libraries and to public libraries.-Booklist/RBB
"a major contribution to Dreiser scholarship, perhaps the most important book since the Swanberg biography, almost forty years ago....a book that should be on every Dreiserian's shelf.... A Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia will long be the standard source of reference for the study of Dreiser-the man, his works, his world. Anyone interested in Dreiser will immediately recognize the extreme usefulness of this book and will appreciate the immense amount of labor that went in its making. Thanks are due to the contributors-and especially to Keith Newlin, for the extraordinary task of overseeing this project. congratulations on a difficult job, well done."-Dreiser Studies
"an insightful guide to the essential facts surrounding this prolific author's life and works....Highly recommended. All levels."-Choice
"[a]n insightful guide to the essential facts surrounding this prolific author's life and works....Highly recommended. All levels."-Choice
"This encyclopedia provides undergraduate- and graduate-level students with a guide to Dreiser's 24 books, more than 870 magazine and newspaper articles, stories, poems, and essays....This volume would be a worthwhile supplemental addition to academic libraries and to public libraries."-Booklist/RBB
"[a] major contribution to Dreiser scholarship, perhaps the most important book since the Swanberg biography, almost forty years ago....[a] book that should be on every Dreiserian's shelf.... A Theodore Dreiser Encyclopedia will long be the standard source of reference for the study of Dreiser-the man, his works, his world. Anyone interested in Dreiser will immediately recognize the extreme usefulness of this book and will appreciate the immense amount of labor that went in its making. Thanks are due to the contributors-and especially to Keith Newlin, for the extraordinary task of overseeing this project. [c]ongratulations on a difficult job, well done."-Dreiser Studies

Author Bio

KEITH NEWLIN is Professor of English at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. He is the coeditor of Dreiser Studies, an international scholarly journal devoted to the life and works of Theodore Dreiser. His articles have appeared in such journals as American Literary Realism, Studies in Anmerican Fiction, and Journal of American Drama and Theatre. He has edited or coedited several works by Hamlin Garland and an edition of Dreiser's plays.