Theodore Dreiser and Democracy

The main product of this research is a book 'Theodore Dreiser and Democracy', which explores the interwoven literary and political work of the American writer Theodore Dreiser (1871-1945). In his novels Dreiser depicted characters struggling for autonomy, success and self-fulfilment against backdrops that remain very recognisable: commodified identities in 'Sister Carrie' (1900); unplanned pregnancy in 'Jennie Gerhardt' (1911); complicated financial systems in 'The Financier' (1912), 'The Titan' (1914), and 'The Bulwark' (1947); and the American dream of social mobility in 'An American Tragedy' (1925). This in part is why Dreiser's novels continue to be read for pleasure, as well as being canonical texts of American literature. Yet until now critics have generally disregarded, and readers remained largely unaware of Dreiser's lifetime of political engagement, which spanned the USA's emergence from political isolation in the 1890s to the beginnning of the Cold War. During this time, Dreiser produced three volumes of political writing and around two hundred articles, pamphlets, and other pieces. His interests spanned the welfare of children, women's activities as political reformers, war resistance, anti-imperialism and campaigning for what he called 'equity.'Now, after the 2011 publication of my edited collection of Dreiser's political writing, it is possible to read the novels and the political writing side by side, in their historical context and our own.I show how Dreiser's political writings extend and amplify the concerns of his novels, and how in turn a sense of his political concerns emphases certain themes in the novels. For example, key to the narratives of 'Jennie Gerhardt' and 'An American Tragedy' is the ability (or inability) of characters from different social classes to access birth control, a concern amplified by Dreiser's writing and campaigning in the 1920s to lift the legal ban on distributing contraceptive advice and materials. Again, his ambivalence over the power of ambitious individuals in 'The Financier' and 'The Titan' was further explored in political writing which tried to negotiate between recognising the value to society of successful individuals, and resisting exploitative concentrations of power. Dreiser's even-handed account of the collision between individual ambition and over-reach, complex and arcane financial systems, and unpredictable real-world events in these novels is strikingly relevant to our times. As a political novelist, he offers a way of understanding such issues which combines social, individual and more systematic perspectives.Dreiser's novels are often read as narrating how, eventually, even the most dynamic individuals are overwhelmed by their environment. By reading his fiction alongside his political writing, this research presents Dreiser's environmental determinism as one element in a wider and more activist world-view. Traditionally viewed as a dour critic, he is revealed as demanding that progressive action cannot wait upon ideological certainty. In meditating upon exactly what basis can be found for progressive action, Dreiser examines issues that remain of compelling interest in the contemporary world. My research focuses on several: issues of self/other relationships, and what I call 'the politics of solidarity across difference;' questions of agency, specifically relating to how individuals can bring about progressive historical change; the interactions between complex financial systems, dynamic and powerful individuals, and unpredictable real-world events; and questions of democracy and 'American exceptionalism' - the set of ideas that views the USA as the privileged site of global democracy.In addition to the academic monograph, I plan to carry out a series of accessible, public events marking the relevance of 'The Financier' on the hundredth anniversary of its publication.

Knowledge for policymaking:My exposition of Dreiser's critical engagement with American democracy will help promote in the UK a fuller understanding of the dynamics of US literature, politics, and national identity. This should be of particular interest to policymakers and others concerned with citizenship, and corporate sponsorship of culture and the arts, especially in the context of governmental encouragement of private funding for the arts similar to the model of the USA. Cultural and social benefits for readers:Alongside undergraduates reading the work as set texts, online discussions of Dreiser's novels from reading groups, blogs, and reviewers on commercial sites such as amazon.co.uk testify to a significant readership outside the academy. Many of these reflect upon and discuss the political implications of the fiction with enthusiasm but an understandably limited knowledge. My research directly addresses these interests, providing knowledge and insight. I will disseminate to these groups a critical understanding of Dreiser as an inspirational figure whose wider career extrapolates themes from the novels.How will they benefit?The main focus of impact will take advantage of the one hundredth anniversary of the publication of Dreiser's novel 'The Financier' which falls in October 2012. I will use the anniversary to stimulate and promote public understanding of novel in relation to topical issues concerning banking, society and culture.In 2012 I plan to:1. Publish two short articles, in 'American Studies Today' and a popular magazine such as 'BBC History.' The articles will examine how 'The Financier' depicts the collision of complex and abstruse financial systems, unpredictable real-world events, and the ambition of powerful individuals such as its protagonist Frank Cowperwood (based on the actual financier Charles Tyson Yerkes). It will do so in relation both to the causes of the contemporary economic crisis, and the responsibilities of citizens in ameliorating its effects. Particularly interesting for contemporary readers are the novel's lengthy and notoriously detailed descriptions of financial systems and arrangements for manipulating debt, and Dreiser's even-handed depiction of Cowperwood, which suspends moral condemnation of his ruthless and selfish ambition, yet ultimately demonstrates the limits of his power. 2. Deliver this material as a public lecture, on a combined University of Winchester/English Project platform, and at at least one other venue. [For details of the English Project see http://www.englishproject.org/.]3. Organise a public symposium using 'The Financier' as a springboard into contemporary debates over the relationship of finance and financial institutions to culture and society. Funded jointly by the University of Winchester and sponsorship from the financial services industry, this public symposium will be a collaborative event, hosting and promoting dialogue between academic Dreiser specialists, representatives of financial institutions, and others. This dialogue will focus on the complexity of financial systems, depicted in great detail in the novel, and the role of dynamic individuals in relationship to such systems, and also on the activities of Dreiser's protagonist Cowperwood as financier, connoisseur and sponsor of art and culture. It will provide an opportunity for the finance industry to promote a better public understanding of its activities, as well as fostering debate over the role of financial corporations in sponsoring art and culture.I will also address these non-academic beneficiaries specifically via contributions to online discussions and blogs, building on my existing blog on my edition of Dreiser's Political Writings at http://www.press.uillinois.edu/wordpress/?p=7299, and the electronic version of my inaugural professorial lecture, 'Theodore Dreiser and the Idea of America.'