Urban Aesthetics in Theodore Dreiser’s Novel Sister Carrie

Abstract

The paper aims to explore the ways in which Theodore Dreiser represents urban imagery of Chicago (1889-1890) and New York (1890-1897) in his novel Sister Carrie and aesthetic elements of the writer’s urban vision.  The actuality of this topic derives from the significant role urbanism and city play in American literature at the end of the 19^th and early 20^th century. Urbanism and literary naturalism are inseparably interconnected, megalopolis being the main topos in naturalist texts – the city, as a rule, is viewed as the center of modern culture and a metonymy of the whole society. The influence of the city on the consciousness of its inhabitants is one of the central problems of literary naturalism. The purpose of this paper is to identify and explore the elements that define urban aesthetics of Dreiser's novel, shaping its complex narrative structure. The focus is made on such naturalistic details as colors, the specific smell of the metropolis which is sometimes irritating and often associated with immigrants, the noise that constantly accompanies the big city; and finally, it is the weather that the author uses deliberately to intensify the urban impressions. The paper scrutinizes Dreiser’s intention to outline the panoramic picture of the modern city as well epic image of American life and society, differentiating between social classes and ways of life.