Theodore Dreiser,
an outstanding American novelist is a pioneer of naturalism in
American literature. Dreiser wrote novels reflecting his
mechanistic view of life, a concept that held humanity as the
victim of such ungovernable forces as economics, biology,
society, and even chance. In his works, conventional morality is
unimportant, virtuous behaviour has little to do with material
success and happiness. He played an important role in
introducing a new realism into American fiction.
Dreiser was born
in 1871 into a large and poor family. His education was
irregular. After working as a journalist on several newspapers,
in 1894 he went to New York City, where he began a career in
publishing, eventually rising to the presidency of a publishing
house.
His first novel,
Sister Carrie (1900) is the story of a country girl's rise to
material success first as the mistress of a wealthy man and then
as an actress. It horrified its publisher, and he gave it only
limited circulation. Dreiser distributed it himself, but it was
consistently attacked as immoral. Jennie Gerhardt (1911), again
about a 'fallen woman,' met with a better response; its success
allowed Dreiser to work as a writer full time. With these two
works, Dreiser started his long battle for the right of the
novelist to portray life as he sees it. In The Financier (1912),
he turned his attention more specifically to American social and
economic institutions. This novel, the first of a trilogy that
includes The Titan (1914) and The Stoic (1947), describes the
rise to power of a ruthless industrialist. In both The Genius
(1915) and in The Bulwark (1946), Dreiser explores the failings
of an American artist. An American Tragedy (1925), often
considered his greatest work, tells of a poor young man's futile
effort to achieve social and financial success; the attempt ends
in his execution for murder.
Translate the
following sentences into English.
1. Драйзер был выдающимся американским романистом,
известным как основоположник натурализма в американской
литературе.
2. Его романы выражают механистическое видение жизни, которое
изображает человечество в качестве жертвы неуправляемых сил,
таких как экономика, биология, общество и случай.
3. Он ввел новый реализм, который отражал незначительность
традиционной морали и добродетельного поведения для
материального благополучия, что часто подвергалось критике за
аморальность.
4. Драйзер начал карьеру в издательском деле и в конце концов
стал президентом издательства.
5. Его более поздние книги встретили более теплый прием, что
позволило ему посвятить себя писательскому труду полностью.
6. В некоторых своих книгах он обращает более пристальное
внимание на американские социально-экономические институты и
описывает восхождение к власти безжалостного промышленника.
7. В «Американской трагедии» он описал бесплодные попытки
бедного молодого человека добиться социального и финансового
успеха.
1. Dreiser was an outstanding American
novelist, famous as a pioneer of naturalism in American
literature.
2. His novels reflect his mechanistic view of life, which holds
humanity as the vicim of such ungovernable forces as economics,
biology, society and chance.
3. He introduced new realism, which depicted the unimportance of
conventional morality and virtous behaviour for material
success, and which was often attacked for immorality.
4. Dreiser began the career in publishing and eventually rose to
the presidency of a publishing house.
5. His later books met with better response, which allowed him
to work as a writer full time.
6. In some of his books, he turned his attention more
specifically to American social and economic institutions and
described a rise to power of a ruthless industrialist.
7. In An American Tragedy he described a poor young man's futile
effort to achieve social and financial success.
Из пособия "ЕГЭ. Английский язык.
Устные темы" Занина Е.Л. (2010, 272с.) - Part
two.
Additional topics.
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