Details About Books Jennie Gerhardt
| Title | : | Jennie Gerhardt |
| Author | : | Theodore Dreiser |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 448 pages |
| Published | : | July 11th 2006 by Pine Street Books (first published 1911) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Fiction. Literature. American. Novels. Literary Fiction |
Theodore Dreiser
Paperback | Pages: 448 pages Rating: 4.04 | 2544 Users | 133 Reviews
Narrative Conducive To Books Jennie Gerhardt
Jennie Gerhardt was Theodore Dreiser's second novel and his first true commercial success. Today it is generally regarded as one of his three best novels, along with Sister Carrie and An American Tragedy. But the text of Jennie Gerhardt heretofore known to readers is quite different from the text as Dreiser originally wrote it. In the tradition of the University of Pennsylvania Dreiser Edition, James L. W. West III has recaptured the text as it was originally written, restoring it to its complete, unexpurgated form. As submitted to Harper and Brothers in 1911, Jennie Gerhardt was a powerful study of a woman tragically compromised by birth and fate. Harpers agreed to publish the book but was nervous about its subject matter and moral stance. Jennie has an illegitimate child by one man and lives out of wedlock with another - but Dreiser does not condemn her for her behavior. As a requirement for publication, Harpers insisted on cutting and revising the text. Although Dreiser fought against many of the cuts and succeeded in restoring some material, Harpers shortened the text by 16,000 words and completely revised its style and tone. These changes ultimately transformed Jennie Gerhardt from a blunt, carefully documented work of social realism to a touching love story merely set against a social background. Passages critical of organized religion and of the institution of marriage were reduced and altered. Perhaps most important, Jennie's point of view - her innate romantic mysticism - was largely edited out of the text. As a consequence, the central dialectic of the novel was skewed and the narrative thrown out of balance.Itemize Books Toward Jennie Gerhardt
| Original Title: | Jennie Gerhardt |
| ISBN: | 0812219554 (ISBN13: 9780812219555) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rating About Books Jennie Gerhardt
Ratings: 4.04 From 2544 Users | 133 ReviewsComment On About Books Jennie Gerhardt
Theodore Dreiser writes those kinds of books that stay with you for a long time. Jennie Gerhardt is an emotional read, taking you through the realities (and cruelties towards the unfortunates like Jennie) of the American life. Jennie was a caring and lovely woman that despite her bad deal in life was always trying to satisfy those around her. What did not convince me was Jennies relationship and sometimes behavior towards her daughter, Vesta. The author mentioned sporadically that she lovedOne of the key elements of the naturalist movement in literature was pessimism. I would say that pessimism just about sums up this book. I can't think when I've been more depressed by a story. I wanted to reach out and slap almost every character in it. I had read both An American Tragedy and Sister Carrie and liked both of those Dreiser books. Maybe I am just worn out with Dreiser's continuing theme of naive pretty poor girls falling for rich men of the upper class who will never 'do right' by
I am not sure why so many people gave glowing reviews to this book. To me, this book is basically mediocre if not worse. The writing is poor, Dreiser style, though a tiny bit better than in "An American Tragedy", where it's just horrible. In this book, the writer proves yet again his inability to create interesting, compelling characters. He uses direct characterizations to tell us how wonderful those people are, but their words and actions don't bear it out. He tries to present the heroine as
Having now received an answer from Audible, I have been informed that the basis for the Blackstone audiobook is the University of Pennsylvania edition published in 1994. This edition, and thus the audiobook too, restores those portions removed from the authors text with the book's first publication by Harper & Brothers in 1911. The audiobook is thus Dreiser's original text before Harper & Brothers' modifications. Having now read three of Theodore Dreiser's novels, I am struck by the
While searching the library for a small paperback I could take on my daughter's school outing a while ago, I ran across "Jennie Gerhardt" by Theodore Dreiser. My reading taste has always been for the classics and historical novels. This one is a bit of both. Dreiser managed to infuriate public sensibilites of his time without as much as one curse word or "love" scene. This is a beautiful story of a young girl whose lower class birth constantly puts a wall between who she really is and what
Very good novel, though its theme is dated!
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