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amkclaes's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
this is a masterpiece. i can't give it 5 stars because it's just not as momentous as American Tragedy, but the way Dreiser captures and critiques capitalism and the shift to an industrialized society is, for me, so far unmatched. We can genuinely see and understand in Carrie, and then in ourselves, the "magic" appeal of capitalism as Weber describes. Maybe my favorite aspect is how Dreiser writes women and Carrie's story in particular: she isn't punished for her caprices, as is common in older literature as well as modern.. she doesn't even particularly struggle internally with it, and in the end she has a kind of success, even if the writer leaves us with an extraordinarily haunting last sentence implying that she won't ever really be happy - it has nothing to do with her would-be "moral failures" and all to do with simple human condition.
Another message masterfully conveyed is the arbitrary cruelty of our capitalist system, and how easily it can seal fates, based on the superficial. Dreiser captures so well how outward symbols and signifiers and even just beauty are imputed onto us and become us, through the gaze of our peers, who use them to assess worth and assign value. It's so real, so true to life, 123 years later.
Another message masterfully conveyed is the arbitrary cruelty of our capitalist system, and how easily it can seal fates, based on the superficial. Dreiser captures so well how outward symbols and signifiers and even just beauty are imputed onto us and become us, through the gaze of our peers, who use them to assess worth and assign value. It's so real, so true to life, 123 years later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Classism
brennach's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Sexism