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Library's collection Library's IT development CancelThe novels that are going to be discussed in this
thesis are Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy and
F.Scott Fitzgerald's This Side of Paradise and these
novels are used as the reflections of the situation in
America around the nineteen twenty.
In the novels,Dreiser and Fitzgerald convey the
same topic that is about their characters'dreams to
gain success and how they are finally trapped by their
own dream. But in conveying their subjects, the au -
thors use different approaches -Dreiser conveys his
topic based on Naturalism point of view while Fitzge -
rald from Romanticism point of view.As a naturalist,
Dreiser tends to emphasize the lower and coarser form
of life and portraying man as the victim of forces
beyond his full understanding.And Fitzgerald, a
romantic,describes his character as a person who
cannot face reality, therefore he prefers to live in
the dream world where his imagination holds control.
From psychological point of view, Dreiser's and
Fitzgerald's characters'dream of success are greatly
influenced by two factors, that are Hedonism or the
desire to enjoy good time, and the other is the role of
childhood in shaping the characters'concepts about
success.
By analizing these two novels, the readers can
understand more about the situation and condition of
the twenties and realize that the problems of that
generation are still relevant to the society nowadays.