An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
This classic novel explores the dark side of the American Dream through the story of a young man who, despite his humble beginnings, aspires to climb the social ladder. He becomes involved with two women, one wealthy and one from a working-class background. His ambition and desire for status lead him to commit a crime that ultimately results in his downfall. The novel is a stark examination of the destructive power of unchecked ambition and the moral compromises people are willing to make in pursuit of wealth and status.
The 230th greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 1581
This book was first published in 1925
27 Lists
- score: 177 -- Finest Works of Fiction - 1980 (Weight: 167)
- score: 175 -- The Great American Novels - 2024 (Weight: 166)
- score: 169 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) - 1991 (Weight: 160)
- score: 169 -- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher - 2005 (Weight: 160)
- score: 165 -- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century - 2000 (Weight: 160)
- score: 148 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read - 2009 (Weight: 140)
- score: 120 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century - 1999 (Weight: 118)
- score: 97 -- All-Time Classics, According to Academics - 1985 (Weight: 81)
- score: 90 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels - 1999 (Weight: 79)
- score: 80 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels - 1998 (Weight: 80)
- score: 63 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon - 1994 (Weight: 60)
- score: 32 -- 100 Best 20th-Century American Books - 1999 (Weight: 31)
- score: 30 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time - 2004 (Weight: 30)
- score: 16 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels - 2005 (Weight: 16)
- score: 10 -- 101 of the World's Greatest Books (1950) - 1950 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade - 2009 (Weight: 10)
- score: 10 -- Everything You Should Read without Being a Library Rat - 1972 (Weight: 10)
- score: 1 -- Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- A Response to David Handlin’s “One Hundred Best American Novels” - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time - 1993 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones - 1955 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Dream of the Great American Novel - 2014 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 - 2013 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers - 2002 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- The Complete 500: OCLC - 2024 (Weight: 1)
- score: 1 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction - 1999 (Weight: 1)