Chicagoist: An American Tragedy Indeed

Stephen

Thu, 15 Mar 2007 07:02:59 -0600

This was a year ago and you may not see this--still--I agree with everything you say, but: American Tragedy is not a Chicago novel. It's set in Kansas City and then in Cortland, New York, close to where the original crime took place, under the fictional name Lycurgus. And why Woody Allen wasn't brought to ground by the Dreiser estate is beyond me...

Margaret

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 11:41:45 -0600

I agree Mike, it was more the "original screenplay" nomination I found interesting. But yes, everything is based off of everything else. And Sister Carrie is a great book.

mike

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 11:12:37 -0600

...and Deconstructing Harry was a mix of Wild Strawberries and 8 1/2. So what? Allusions in film are nothing to thumb your nose at. On the contrary, I think they enrich the experience for those who are familiar with the source work. (Unless we're talking about wholesale plagiarism, of course.) That said, An American Tragedy was one of the best books I read during my teenage years. I have a feeling Dreiser's works will become more relevant in the coming decades, as corporations again cement their hold on the American roost (in particular his seminal Chicago masterpiece: Sister Carrie).

steve

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:27:56 -0600

Doesn't suprise me. I saw his movie Small Time Crooks which was pretty much a rip-off of an old Edward G. Robinson movie called Larceny, Inc. In the original movie, which was much better, Edward G. Robinson and co. buy a luggage store next to a bank so they can tunnel over and rob it. Woody and crew do the same thing but it's a cookie store.

john

Tue, 07 Mar 2006 10:26:05 -0600

Hey Margaret, thanks for the tip. I read "Sister Carrie" about a year ago and really enjoyed it. I'll put "An American Tragedy" on the list. If you like historic Chicago in fiction, check out the Studs Lonigan trilogy by James T. Farrell.