An American Tragedy

E340843
naturalist novel novel

An American Tragedy is a landmark 1925 naturalist novel by Theodore Dreiser that explores ambition, class, and moral downfall through the story of a young man's pursuit of the American Dream leading to crime and ruin.

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All labels observed (4)

Label Occurrences
An American Tragedy canonical 5
An American Tragedy (1931 film) 1
An American Tragedy (2005 opera) 1

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf naturalist novel ⓘ
novel ⓘ
adaptedAs film ⓘ
opera ⓘ
stage play ⓘ
author Theodore Dreiser ⓘ
authorNationality American ⓘ
basedOn Gillette–Brown murder case ⓘ
countryOfOrigin United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
explores legal system ⓘ
media sensationalism ⓘ
social inequality ⓘ
filmAdaptation A Place in the Sun ⓘ
surface form: A Place in the Sun (1951 film)

An American Tragedy self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: An American Tragedy (1931 film)
firstEditionFormat print ⓘ
followedBy The Bulwark ⓘ
form prose fiction ⓘ
genre naturalism ⓘ
psychological fiction ⓘ
tragedy ⓘ
influenced American crime fiction ⓘ
later depictions of the American Dream in literature ⓘ
language English ⓘ
literaryMovement American naturalism ⓘ
mainCharacter Clyde Griffiths ⓘ
narrativePerspective third-person narration ⓘ
notableFor critique of American social values ⓘ
detailed psychological characterization ⓘ
operaAdaptation An American Tragedy self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: An American Tragedy (2005 opera)
placeInLiteraryCanon landmark of American naturalism ⓘ
precededBy Jennie Gerhardt ⓘ
protagonistBackground poor religious family ⓘ
protagonistOccupation factory worker ⓘ
publicationDate 1925 ⓘ
publisher Boni & Liveright ⓘ
setInCountry United States of America ⓘ
surface form: United States
setInPeriod early 20th century ⓘ
setting Kansas City metropolitan area ⓘ
surface form: Kansas City

Lycurgus, New York (fictional town) ⓘ
structure three parts ⓘ
theme American Dream ⓘ
capitalism ⓘ
class ⓘ
crime and punishment ⓘ
determinism ⓘ
moral downfall ⓘ
religion ⓘ
social mobility ⓘ

Referenced by (8)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Theodore Dreiser → notableWork → An American Tragedy ⓘ
Maxwell Perkins → notableWork → An American Tragedy ⓘ
this entity surface form: An American Tragedy (as editor, Scribner's involvement)
A Place in the Sun → basedOn → An American Tragedy ⓘ
Viking → publisherOf → An American Tragedy ⓘ
Sylvia Sidney → notableWork → An American Tragedy ⓘ
Florence Eldridge → notableWork → An American Tragedy ⓘ
An American Tragedy → filmAdaptation → An American Tragedy self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: An American Tragedy (1931 film)
An American Tragedy → operaAdaptation → An American Tragedy self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: An American Tragedy (2005 opera)