Andrea+L

= Sister Carrie﻿ by Theodore Dreiser =

“A man’s fortune or material progress is very much the same as his bodily growth. Either he is growing stronger, healthier, wiser, as the youth approaching manhood, or he is growing weaker, older, les incisive mentally, as the man approaching old age. There are no other states” (259).

“Men and women hurried by in long, shifting lines. She felt the flow of the tide of effort and interest—felt her own helplessness without quite realizing the wisp on the tide she was” (21). “Minnie was no companion for her sister—she was too old. Her thoughts were staid and solemnly adapted to a condition” (41). ====﻿   ====

 Critic Reviews
Yet Sister Carrie is a very theatrical novel, and I am not speaking only of its tragic theme. To be sure, the richness of the novel-its slow patient accumulation of urban detail, making it the premier American novel of the city-poses logistical problems for the dramatist: This material spills over the boundaries of the conventional psychological drama. **(The People's Light and Theater Company, New York)**

First, his prose is fresh. Sister Carrie, published in 1900, had little publicity, largely due to the controversial subject matter for the time. And although certain references evoke that period, the work, both in subject and form, is timeless. Because Dreiser is more concerned with the “working man” over someone like Henry James for example, there isn’t this aloofness present that often accompanies James’ novels. Dreiser, an American from Indiana, is more concerned with poverty and class struggles — some of the very themes present in Sister Carrie.

(AARP Magazine Online)

His first novel, Sister Carrie, was not well-received when it appeared in 1900. Its clear-eyed representation of the controversial choices that a working-class woman makes out of material desperation did not sit well with the general public.

(DailyLit, LLC)

SISTER CARRIE was first printed in 1900 but publication was held up until 1912 because its realism and alleged immorality were judged likely to give offense. Theodore Dreiser intertwined his narrative of a young woman seduced by the lure of the city with the counter-narrative of a middle-aged man seduced by desire for Carrie. This novel deeply influenced later 20th-century writers.

(W. W. Norton & Company)

=
==

Quote 1: ﻿This quote shows how a man's progress is very predictable. Hurstwood, for example, grows stronger and wealthier. But, later on in the book, he's getting weaker and older. This includes everyone else in the book. This quote just explains the stages in a man's life.

Quote 2: Carrie was surrounded by people in New York City. She thought she was so unimportant compared to everyone else at one point. This quote shows how she felt.

Quote 3: Minnie and her sister are very different in the story. I find this important because Minnie has to live with her sister in Chicago. They do not really get along. She was older and so much stricter. Carrrie's sister was not very outspoken Video 1: I used this video because it shows all the main events. It really sums up the whole book.

Video 2: This video shows how Carrie met Charlie. It is important because the book would be nothing without Charlie and Carrie meeting.