Shows / The Theodore Dreiser Library
The Theodore Dreiser Library
Here are the restless men and women of America, hungry for wealth, love, beauty, position, and that ever-receding promise called happiness.
The Theodore Dreiser Library presents the works of one of America’s great chroniclers of ambition and desire, read in full. From the crowded streets and glittering theatres of Sister Carrie to the terrible longing at the heart of An American Tragedy, Dreiser follows ordinary lives caught in the immense machinery of money, circumstance, passion, and fate…
Episodes
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter XII
In which Clyde rises to a position of some authority and social standing within the fabric factory, observing both the workings of the establishment and the…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter XIII
In which a young woman named Roberta seeks employment in a hosiery factory to improve her prospects beyond the modest poverty of her rural upbringing, while…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter X
In which the young and impressionable Clyde Griffiths visits the refined home of his uncle and meets a dazzling circle of society girls, all the while acutely…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter XI
In which young Clyde, caught between aspirations of a grander social sphere and the stark realities of factory life, is reassigned to a clerical post…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter IX
In which Clyde Griffiths finds himself torn between the alluring but precarious acquaintance of Rita and the daunting prospect of acceptance into the…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter VIII
In which the young and somewhat solitary Clyde Griffiths ventures from the familiar confines of Lycurgus to attend a seemingly modest church social, where the…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter VI
In which young Clyde Griffiths settles into a modest room in a bustling milltown, observing with mixed feelings the starkly different lives and ambitions of…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter VII
In which a young man newly arrived in a staid boarding house encounters an eager, somewhat superficial companion whose social aspirations and convivial…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter IV
In which a young man, yearning for advancement beyond his menial post as a bell-hop, discovers the presence of a wealthy uncle whose business might offer new…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter V
In which a young man, newly arrived in a small industrial city, surveys the surroundings and is introduced to the grand factory and distinguished family into…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter II
In which a prosperous and proud family man returns from a successful business trip, only to reveal the existence of a distant cousin—an intriguing young man of…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter III
In which a young man named Clyde Griffiths, burdened by past misfortunes and a grave accident, strives to rebuild his life amid humble work and cautious hope…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XIX
In which a young party’s reckless joy ride through a snowy cityscape turns tragic when their hastened flight from the law results in a sudden, violent crash…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 2 Chapter I
In which the Griffiths family of Lycurgus, New York, gathers for a dinner marked by subtle social tensions and differing ambitions, revealing the contrasting…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XVII
In which a group of young people embark on a frosty January automobile excursion to a rustic inn, their jaunt enlivened by spirited dance and tender…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XVIII
In which a lively afternoon of skating on a narrow, winding river reveals the tangled affections and jealousies among a group of youthful companions…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XV
In which young Clyde finds himself entangled in Hortense’s intricate and shifting affections, as she deftly manoeuvres to secure a coveted coat, wielding charm…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XVI
In which Hortense endeavours with cunning to secure a costly coat on credit, while Clyde grapples with burdensome financial entanglements that press upon both…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XIV
In which a young man, grappling with the changing tides of affection and morality amongst those around him, becomes captivated by a clever and coquettish shop…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XIII
In which a young man becomes ensnared in the uncertain attentions of a captivating woman while coping with the burdens and quiet mysteries that weigh on his…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XI
In which young Clyde Griffiths, newly drawn into a world of bold gaiety and social freedoms quite unlike the austere upbringing of his home, finds himself both…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter XII
In which a young man, newly impressionable to the charms of a captivating and self-assured woman, experiences the delicate tumult of admiration, jealousy, and…
The Theodore Dreiser LibraryAn American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter IX
In which a young man newly acquainted with a lively circle of hotel boys experiences an evening of camaraderie, dining, and the hesitant crossing of thresholds…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter X
In which a young man of nervous temperament ventures into a scene of transient pleasures and fleshly display, finding himself both repelled and fascinated by…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter VIII
In which young Clyde, newly employed and earning more than before, navigates the allure and demands of independence, dressing handsomely and joining his…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter VII
In which the young and impressionable Clyde encounters the lavish yet shadowy world of the Green-Davidson hotel, gaining intoxicating glimpses of luxury…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter VI
In which young Clyde Griffiths enters the poised and rarefied world of hotel service, discovering an environment both dazzling and bewildering as he navigates…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter V
In which the young and earnest Clyde Griffiths finds himself enlisted as a bell-boy at a splendid hotel, where the promise of handsome uniforms, a modelling…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter III
In which a sombre ripple disturbs the steady current of the Griffiths family life as Esta Griffiths, a delicate and impressionable young woman caught between…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter IV
In which a young lad named Clyde, earnestly striving to raise himself above humble beginnings, takes up work at a drug store soda fountain and longs to be part…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter II
In which the youthful Clyde Griffiths grows up amidst the toils and spiritual earnestness of his impoverished evangelising parents in a bleak Kansas City…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
An American Tragedy Volume 1 Book 1 Chapter I
In which a humble family, bound by faith yet fraught with silent disquiet, embarks on their nightly pilgrimage through the bustling commercial streets to…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 61
In which the somber realities of age and mortality gradually encroach upon Lester Kane, whose steadfast and materialistic approach to life is both a comfort…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 62
In which Jennie remains devoted at Lester’s bedside through his final days, witnessing with a quiet sorrow the customary rituals and formalities that follow…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 59
In which Jennie is overwhelmed by sorrow and solitude following the loss of her beloved Vesta, and she contemplates how to find solace and purpose amidst the…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 60
In which the passage gently traces the widening gulf over five years between Lester and Jennie, revealing their settled, disparate lives marked by social…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 58
In which Lester, having resolved to marry Mrs. Gerald, departs for a distant honeymoon while Jennie mournfully confronts the poignant reality of his absence…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 57
In which Jennie Gerhardt endeavours to navigate the harsh new realities of life apart from Lester, seeking solace in the devoted company of her daughter and…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 56
In which Lester wrestles with the seductive allure of social advancement personified by Mrs Gerald, contrasting her polished sophistication with Jennie’s…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 55
In which Lester Kane, having weathered the storm of lost favour and personal upheaval, emerges renewed yet burdened by the weight of conscience and the demands…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 53
In which the quiet tension of a long-standing but unformalised relationship is brought to a head by the intrusion of family affairs and impending financial…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 54
In which Jennie contemplates a simpler, quieter life by the lake at Sandwood, hoping for solace and the chance to nurture her daughter Vesta’s emerging talents…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 51
In which the steady decline of old Gerhardt’s health brings a quiet reckoning to the household, as Jennie tends to him with a mixture of devotion and tender…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 52
In which the sombre truth of a father’s will casts a long shadow over Jennie and Lester's precarious union, revealing the costly price of defying family…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 49
In which the thoughtful Mr. Lester ventures cautiously into the realm of suburban real estate, guided by the experienced Mr. Ross, yet finds himself gradually…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 50
In which Mrs Gerald moves to Chicago, fuelled by curiosity and concern over Lester's complicated relationship with Jennie and the tangled affairs surrounding…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 47
In which Lester returns from Europe to find his brother Robert masterminding a grand carriage trust that overshadows Lester’s more modest business prospects…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 48
In which Lester Kane, weary and indecisive about his future, is approached by a confident real estate speculator, Samuel E. Ross, who offers him a lucrative…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 46
In which the soft glow of an Egyptian night sets the stage for delicate social dance and reflective musings, as Jennie, draped in white satin, contemplates her…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 45
In which Lester Kane, while travelling abroad, reconnects with Letty Pace—now the charming and wealthy Mrs. Malcolm Gerald—a woman of cultivated tastes and old…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 43
In which Lester faces the burdensome complexity of family dynamics and business entanglements following his father’s death, wrestling with pride and…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 44
In which Lester Gerhardt, facing the uncertain prospects of middle age with a comfortable income yet lacking the ruthless drive for business success…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 41
In which a sensational newspaper story unexpectedly casts a lurid spotlight upon a tender private affair between a wealthy heir and a working girl, painting…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 42
In which Lester Kane confronts the public exposure of his relationship with Jennie through a newspaper article, and faces the painful judgement of his social…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 39
In which the elder Kane wrestles with deep disappointment over his son Lester’s unconventional domestic arrangements, weighing the impact on family honour and…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 40
In which Lester returns to Chicago burdened by the weight of his father's displeasure and the subtle, yet stinging, coldness of once-close acquaintances who…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 37
In which a spacious and venerable home in South Hyde Park is prepared with care and anticipation, offering a serene retreat that contrasts quietly with the…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 38
In which Jennie and Lester settle into their new home life in Hyde Park, cautiously navigating the social attentions and whispered judgements of their…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 35
In which Jennie Gerhardt wrestles with the heavy burden of her conscience and the harsh judgments of the world around her, contemplating a difficult decision…
- The Theodore Dreiser Library
Jennie Gerhardt Chapter 36
In which Jennie wrestles with the complexities of her relationship with Lester, contemplating departure for the sake of propriety yet finding herself caught in…