From the Lists: #33 Sister Carrie

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (1900)

When my friend Bill asked what this book was about, I gave him the Cliff's Notes version of the Cliff's Notes for this novel: A girl leaves her small town in Wisconsin to chase her dreams in Chicago, where she meets a guy, meets another guy, and then meets another guy (I had no idea that Cliff's Notes were actually available on line).

Coincidentally, Carl read this book just before I picked it up. He made a much more eloquent argument in favor of the book pointing out Carrie's modernity for the times and how progressive the author was on the topic of serial cohabitation (one would think he was an English major). All of which is true, and yet this book left me without any feelings for or against it.

I am unsure whether Carrie was actually modern in her outlook or if she simply had opportunities for , food, nice clothes and comfort and took them. For most of the book, she is simply living with one man or another allowing herself to be swept along as they desire. It is not until times get desperate, again, that she takes control of her life. In the space of a few years, she takes up with a lady's man, a married man, and has her eye on an intellectual by the end of the novel - all this by the age of 21.  Regardless of the men who aided and/or impeded her along the way, Carrie eventually discovers her talent and chases her dream to great success.

The subject matter may have been progressive for 1900, but the incessant naval gazing of the characters and the moralizing of the omniscient narrator place the book firmly in the 19th century. The author tells us everything down to the thoughts and feelings of each character. Nothing is left for the reader to imagine or interpret through their own life experiences. As such, I had very little sympathy for any of the characters who rise and fall based on the choices the make and the ones they avoid.

I usually enjoy period pieces such as this, but I think the book would have benefited from some additional editing - or perhaps the problem was that so many people had edited the original manuscript that the author's true voice was lost. Either way I was a bit disappointed. Average and predictable story with average writing. Nothing to recommend it, although I have added the movie to Netflix queue.

Next up: #32 The Golden Bowl by Henry James

For more information on the list, see: 100 Best English-Language Novels of the 20th Century