"Sister Carrie" was first printed in 1900 but publication was effectively held up until 1912 because its realism and supposed immorality were judged likely to give offence. Theodore Dreiser intertwined his narrative of a young woman seduced by the lure of the modern city with the counter-narrative of a middle-aged man seduced by desire for Carrie herself. This eminently American story of rags to riches is balanced between Carrie Meeber`s rise to stardom in the theatre and George Hurstwood`s slow decline. The twin poles of exuberance and exhaustion in American life are captured as never before.
The premier example of American naturalism, "Sister Carrie" has deeply influenced a number of writers, from William Faulkner and F. Scott Fitzgerald to Saul Bellow and Joyce Carol Oates.
This edition includes: introduction; textual note; bibliography chronology; explanatory notes.
Edited with an introduction and notes by Lee Clark Mitchell.