Question

Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy is an example of which of these literary traditions? realism romanticism modernism naturalism

Answer 1

Naturalism is the answer

Answer 2

Answer: The right answer is naturalism (D).

Explanation: Although Theodore Dreiser's powerful novel An American Tragedy can be also described as modernist and realistic, to an extent, it is more accurately an example of naturalism, a type of literature that was practised by various American writers, such as contemporaries Jack London and Theodore Dreiser, and, later on, John Don Passos, among others. Naturalistic writers studied and analyzed their characters, and the passions, instincts, and external forces that influenced their often desperate and violent actions, from a very rational, objective, detached and almost scientific perspective. For that reason, naturalistic works tend to be pessimistic and dramatic, as they revolve around the themes of survival, violence, struggle, and guilt, among others. An American Tragedy tells the story of a young, handsome and ambitious, yet poor and naive, man who, together with his friends and girlfriend, gets involved in a lethal car accident and resolves to flee his hometown. A wealthy relative gives him a chance, but his thirst to become someone soon gets him into trouble. He gets a girl pregnant, but as he becomes popular among some of the women of the wealthy class he soon wishes to get rid of her. He takes her for a boat ride and, although he does not feel ready to kill her, he "accidentally" hits her and she falls to the water and drowns. He is eventually sentenced and executed.