Publisher's Synopsis
Jennie Gerhardt is a novel written by Theodore Dreiser that tells the story of a young woman named Jennie Gerhardt and her struggles in life. Jennie is the daughter of a poor German-American family living in Columbus, Ohio. She is forced to work as a servant in a wealthy family's home after her mother dies and her father becomes an alcoholic.Jennie's beauty and kind nature attract the attention of a wealthy senator named Brander, who becomes infatuated with her. He offers to take care of her and her family in exchange for her becoming his mistress. Jennie reluctantly agrees, but soon falls in love with him.However, their relationship is cut short when Brander dies suddenly. Jennie is left alone and pregnant, and is forced to give up her child for adoption. She then meets and falls in love with a wealthy businessman named Lester Kane, who is also attracted to her beauty and kind nature.Their relationship is complicated by the fact that Lester is already engaged to another woman, but he eventually breaks off his engagement and marries Jennie. However, their happiness is short-lived as Jennie's past catches up with her, and she is forced to reveal her previous relationship with Brander and the fact that she had a child out of wedlock.Jennie's honesty and integrity impress Lester, and he stands by her, even when his family and society reject her. The novel explores themes of social class, morality, and the struggle for survival in a society that values wealth and status above all else.1911. American author, outstanding representative of naturalism, whose novels depict real-life subjects in a harsh light. Dreiser's books were held to be amoral, and he battled throughout his career against censorship and popular taste. Jennie Gerhardt, along with his other famous work Sister Carrie, chronicles the struggle of young women in a brutal urban culture. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
