An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser
This classic novel explores the dark side of the American Dream through the story of a young man who, despite his humble beginnings, aspires to climb the social ladder. He becomes involved with two women, one wealthy and one from a working-class background. His ambition and desire for status lead him to commit a crime that ultimately results in his downfall. The novel is a stark examination of the destructive power of unchecked ambition and the moral compromises people are willing to make in pursuit of wealth and status.
The 172nd greatest book of all time
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Total Points: 1533
Since this book was first published in 1925, there is a penalty of 0%. The age adjusted score is 1533.0.
This is to prevent newer books from reaching super high on the ranked list of the greatest books of all time. The greatest books should also stand the test of time.
- score: 138 -- Världsbiblioteket (The World Library) (Weight: 138)
- score: 132 -- "Our Readable Century", The Best Books of the 20th Century (Weight: 132)
- score: 115 -- The 100 Best Novels of the 20th Century (Weight: 114)
- score: 96 -- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (Weight: 96)
- score: 96 -- Finest Works of Fiction (Weight: 96)
- score: 90 -- Our Users' Favorite Books of All Time (Weight: 90)
- score: 87 -- The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- The Great American Novels (Weight: 84)
- score: 84 -- Inteliquest's World's 100 Greatest Books of All-Time (Weight: 84)
- score: 81 -- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (Weight: 81)
- score: 75 -- 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Weight: 75)
- score: 71 -- Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Weight: 69)
- score: 66 -- The Complete 500: OCLC (Weight: 66)
- score: 57 -- The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (Weight: 57)
- score: 51 -- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (Weight: 51)
- score: 51 -- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (Weight: 51)
- score: 39 -- The Dream of the Great American Novel (Weight: 39)
- score: 33 -- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Weight: 33)