Abstract:Before starting a career in literature, Theodore Dreiser had been a journalist for quite a time.As a matter of fact,it is this early experience that led to the creation of his most acknowledged novel, An American Tragedy.It is not only derived from a criminal case which reflected social downsides but also an outcome of deeply sympathy which had been aroused by the tragedy of the youth sharing a similar social background with himself. The murder cases he had collected over years are just an inspiration. Apart from the intriguing way of story telling, why the novel became an instant commercial success and has withstood the test of time is what I am going to discuss about in this thesis.     

    To illustrate how the tragedy took place, I think it is essential to fully display the experiences of the author and the social context of the novel at the very beginning as it could testify why the novel is trust-worthy. Then the picture of the protagonist, a sympathetic young boy, might inspire deeper reflection of audience. It is natural to sense the contradiction between aspiration and reality. Thus, I will come to the elaboration of this conflict.

    As suggested by the title, Dreiser blamed the twisted moral value of American society for degeneracy of people. It is not just a personal tragedy, but rather it is the problem of the whole community. Too much involvement in the pleasure of the world will only lead to a tragedy. 

Key Words: An American Tragedy, Theodore Dreiser, Clyde Griffiths

摘要:在还没有开始其文学事业前，西奥多·德莱塞曾做过相当长时间的记者。而正是这段早年的经历造就了他后来最广受认可的作品《美国悲剧》。这不仅是源于一桩罪案的纪实小说，更是蕴含了被那些有与他相同出身却走向堕落深渊的青年而唤醒的身世之感。那些他曾收集多时的谋杀案只是灵感的来源。这部小说迅速在商业与评论界获得成功的原因在于它在引人入胜的故事背后深刻分析了人性沉沦的原因。而这正是本论文将要阐述的重心。

   论文首先为了说明悲剧是如何发生的，将在开头较全面的展现小说作者的生平与小说创作的社会背景，因为这能说明小说的可信度。然后，在对小说文本进行细致分析的基础上可以看出在人物发展过程中人物追求与社会现实的冲突。接着，论文的末章将就此矛盾展开论述。

   最后得出结论，这如小说题目所暗示的那样，德莱赛把人的堕落归咎于美国社会扭曲的价值观。这不仅仅是个人的不幸，更是一个社会问题。对世俗享乐的过分沉迷导致的必然悲剧。

关键词：美国悲剧；西奥多·德莱赛；克莱德·格里菲恩