The Gospel of Wealth in the American Novel (Routledge Revivals)

Business and the businessman have had a fundamental place in American society since the inception of the nation. This tenet, the ‘gospel of wealth’, is a central concern in the novels of Theodore Dreiser and his contemporaries. First published in 1987, this study aims to set this group of writers in their historical context and to show how they elaborated the idea of wealth as an object of quasi-religious quest. A detailed analysis, this reissue will be of particular value to students of American literature with an interest in the relationship between linguistic symbols and social order, and historical attitudes towards wealth in literature.