Sign-In
Cart
The "Genius"
Paperback
Classic FictionGeneral FictionLiterary Fiction
ISBN13: 9781025680644
Publisher: Tradd Street Press
Published: Feb 14 2026
Pages: 746
Weight: 2.26
Height: 1.49 Width: 6.14 Depth: 9.21
Language: English
The Genius is a monumental exploration of the artistic temperament and the relentless drive for success in early twentieth-century America. Written by Theodore Dreiser, a master of American Naturalism, the novel follows the life of Eugene Witla, a gifted young man from a small town in Illinois who travels to Chicago and New York to pursue his dreams as a painter.
As Witla rises through the ranks of the commercial art world and the publishing industry, he finds himself caught between his pursuit of aesthetic excellence and the seductive lures of wealth, status, and romantic passion. Dreiser meticulously charts Witla's emotional and professional fluctuations, offering a searing critique of the social and moral pressures that shape the modern individual. The narrative delves deep into the complexities of marriage, the fickleness of fame, and the internal conflict between one's creative vision and the demands of a materialistic society.
Often considered Dreiser's most autobiographical work, The Genius remains a compelling study of a flawed protagonist seeking meaning in a rapidly changing world. Its expansive scope and psychological depth cement its place as a significant contribution to American literature, capturing the raw energy and inherent contradictions of the American experience.
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you may see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
7 different editions
Also available
Also from
Dreiser, Theodore
An American Tragedy (Collector's Edition) (Laminated Hardback with Jacket)
Dreiser, Theodore
Hardcover
Harlan Miners Speak: Report on Terrorism in the Kentucky Coal Fields
Dreiser, Theodore
Dos Passos, John
Anderson, Sherwood
Paperback
Theodore Dreiser - Sister Carrie: "In order to have wisdom we must have ignorance"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Sister Carrie (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Dreiser, Theodore
Hardcover
The Titan: The Titan is a business novel by Theodore Dreiser and the sequel to The Financier
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Dreiser-Mencken Letters, Volume 2: The Correspondence of Theodore Dreiser and H. L. Mencken, 197-1945
Dreiser, Theodore
Mencken, H. L.
Hardcover
An American Tragedy (Royal Collector's Edition) (Case Laminate Hardcover with Jacket)
Dreiser, Theodore
Hardcover
Hey Rub-a-Dub-Dub: A Book of the Mystery and Wonder and Terror of Life . By: Theodore Dreiser / is a collection of twenty essays /
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Theodore Dreiser - Jennie Gerhardt: "Nothing is proved, all is permitted"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Theodore Dreiser - Twelve Men: "Let no one underestimate the need of pity"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Theodore Dreiser - The Financier: "The true meaning of money yet remains to be popularly explained and comprehended"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Theodore Dreiser - The "Genius": "I acknowledge the Furies. I believe in them. I have heard the disastrous beating of their wings"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Theodore Dreiser - Free & Other Stories: "Art is the stored honey of the human soul, gathered on wings of misery and travail"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
A Traveler at Forty (1913), By Theodore Dreiser and illustrated By W. Glackens: William James Glackens (March 13, 1870 - May 22, 1938) was an American
Dreiser, Theodore
Glackens, W.
Paperback
The "Genius" (novel) By: Theodore Dreiser. / is a semi-autobiographical /
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Sister Carrie - A Classic American Novel of Ambition, Desire, and the Search for Success
Dreiser, Theodore
Hardcover
Dreiser-Mencken Letters, Volume 1: The Correspondence of Theodore Dreiser and H. L. Mencken, 197-1945
Mencken, H. L.
Dreiser, Theodore
Hardcover
Free and Other Stories: Theodore Dreiser's Tapestry of Freedom Unfolds in "Free and Other Stories"
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Hey Rub-a-dub-dub; A Book of the Mystery and Wonder and Terror of Life: in large print
Dreiser, Theodore
Paperback
Also in
Literary Fiction
Elizabeth Spencer: Novels & Stories (Loa #344): The Voice at the Back Door / The Light in the Piazza / Knights and Dragons / Stories
Spencer, Elizabeth
Hardcover
The Underworld U.S.A. Trilogy, Volume I: American Tabloid, the Cold Six Thousand; Introduction by Thomas Mallon
Ellroy, James
Hardcover
James Fenimore Cooper: The Leatherstocking Tales Vol. 1 (Loa #26): The Pioneers / The Last of the Mohicans / The Prairie
Cooper, James Fenimore
Hardcover
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Other Stories (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)
Stevenson, Robert Louis
Paperback
Johnny Panic and the Bible of Dreams: Short Stories, Prose, and Diary Excerpts
Plath, Sylvia
Paperback
Philip Roth: Novels 1967-1972 (Loa #158): When She Was Good / Portnoy's Complaint / Our Gang / The Breast
Roth, Philip
Hardcover
The Patrick Melrose Novels: Never Mind, Bad News, Some Hope, and Mother's Milk
St Aubyn, Edward
Paperback