num_pages: 972
description: 'An American Tragedy' is the story of Clyde Griffiths, who spends his life in the desperate pursuit of success. On a deeper, more profound level, it is the masterful portrayal of the society whose values both shape Clyde's ambitions and seal his fate; it is an unsurpassed depiction of the harsh realities of American life and of the dark side of the American dream. Extraordinary in scope and power, vivid in its sense of wholesale human waste, unceasing in its rich compassion, 'An American Tragedy' stands as Theodore Dreiser's supreme achievement.Based on an actual criminal case, 'An American Tragedy' was the inspiration for the film 'A Place in the Sun', which won six Academy Awards and starred Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift.
language: English
title: An American Tragedy
titlecomplete: An American Tragedy
characters: Bert Gettler, Asa Griffiths, Mrs. George Newton, Esta Griffiths, Orville Mason, Elvira Griffiths, Alvin Belknap, Nicholas Kraut, Violet Taylor, Samuel Griffiths, Charlie Trone, Perley Haynes, Sonda, Hortense Briggs, Legare Atterbury, Roberta Alden, Reuben Jephson, Mr. Shurlock, Clyde Griffiths, Frank Harriet, Justice Oberwaltzer, Tom Keary, Miss Vanda Steele, Sondra Finchley, Gilbert Griffiths, Thomas Ratterer
genres: Classics, Banned Books, Fiction, Novels, Classic Literature, Historical Fiction, Literature, 20th Century, American, Crime
ratings_count: 36357
places: Lycurgus, New York, Kansas City, Missouri
publisher: Library of America