Heard in the Corridors
Dreiser and Norris Sessions at ALA (Boston, May 25-28, 2023)
Thursday, May 25, 2023, 8:30-9:50 am
Session 1-I, Rethinking the Nonhuman in American Literary Naturalism
Chair: Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
1. “Anthropomorphism Reconsidered: Jack London and the Politics of Nature Faking in ‘All Gold Canyon,’” Paul Baggett, South Dakota State University
2. “Phillip K. Dick’s Naturalistic Cold War Fable in ‘Beyond Lies the Wub,’” Kenneth Brandt, Savannah College of Art and Design
3. “Naturalism’s Nonhuman Streets: Sustainability and Sustenance in Ann Petry’s Prose,” Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University
Friday, May 26, 2023 10:00 am – 11:20 am
Session 9-G, Rethinking the Boundaries of American Literary Naturalism: New Texts, New Approaches
Chair, Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University
1. “The Limits of Patriarchal Knowledge: Gender, ‘Race,’ and the ‘femme fatale’ in Dreiser's ‘Will You Walk into My Parlor’ and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby,” Jude Davies, University of Winchester
2. “Uncanny Twins of New American Literary Naturalisms: Ling Ma’s Severance and Apple TV+’s Severance,” Anita Duneer, Rhode Island College
3. “The Neglected Naturalism of F. Scott Fitzgerald,” Donna Campbell, Washington State University
Friday, May 26, 2023 11:30 am – 12:50 pm
Session 10-G, Rethinking the Boundaries of American Literary Naturalism: New Texts, New Approaches II
Chair: Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
1. “‘We’ve had an accident!’: Towards a Theory of Aleatory Naturalism,” John Repetti, Princeton University
2. “Frank Norris, Ambrose Bierce, and the Art of Darkness,” Nicole de Fee, Louisiana Tech University
3. “Jack London’s ‘Alcoholic Memoirs’ on Screen: John Barleycorn and Film Censorship,” Yair Solan, Nova Southeastern University
Saturday, May 27, 2023 4:00 pm – 5:20 pm
Session 20-J, Rethinking the Boundaries of American Literary Naturalism: A Roundtable on the State and Status of American Literary Naturalism Organized by the Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser Societies Moderator: Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University 1. Eric Carl Link, University of North Dakota 2. Steven Frye, California State University, Bakersfield 3. Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University 4. Hannah Huber, The University of the South, editor Studies in American Naturalism 5. John Dudley, University of South Dakota
Saturday, May 27, 2023 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Session 21-I, Business Meeting: Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser Societies
Conference details may be found at the American Literature Association web site: ALA Annual Conference – The American Literature Association
Thursday, May 25, 2023, 8:30-9:50 am
Session 1-I, Rethinking the Nonhuman in American Literary Naturalism
Chair: Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
1. “Anthropomorphism Reconsidered: Jack London and the Politics of Nature Faking in ‘All Gold Canyon,’” Paul Baggett, South Dakota State University
2. “Phillip K. Dick’s Naturalistic Cold War Fable in ‘Beyond Lies the Wub,’” Kenneth Brandt, Savannah College of Art and Design
3. “Naturalism’s Nonhuman Streets: Sustainability and Sustenance in Ann Petry’s Prose,” Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University
Friday, May 26, 2023 10:00 am – 11:20 am
Session 9-G, Rethinking the Boundaries of American Literary Naturalism: New Texts, New Approaches
Chair, Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University
1. “The Limits of Patriarchal Knowledge: Gender, ‘Race,’ and the ‘femme fatale’ in Dreiser's ‘Will You Walk into My Parlor’ and Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby,” Jude Davies, University of Winchester
2. “Uncanny Twins of New American Literary Naturalisms: Ling Ma’s Severance and Apple TV+’s Severance,” Anita Duneer, Rhode Island College
3. “The Neglected Naturalism of F. Scott Fitzgerald,” Donna Campbell, Washington State University
Friday, May 26, 2023 11:30 am – 12:50 pm
Session 10-G, Rethinking the Boundaries of American Literary Naturalism: New Texts, New Approaches II
Chair: Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
1. “‘We’ve had an accident!’: Towards a Theory of Aleatory Naturalism,” John Repetti, Princeton University
2. “Frank Norris, Ambrose Bierce, and the Art of Darkness,” Nicole de Fee, Louisiana Tech University
3. “Jack London’s ‘Alcoholic Memoirs’ on Screen: John Barleycorn and Film Censorship,” Yair Solan, Nova Southeastern University
Saturday, May 27, 2023 4:00 pm – 5:20 pm
Session 20-J, Rethinking the Boundaries of American Literary Naturalism: A Roundtable on the State and Status of American Literary Naturalism Organized by the Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser Societies Moderator: Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University 1. Eric Carl Link, University of North Dakota 2. Steven Frye, California State University, Bakersfield 3. Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University 4. Hannah Huber, The University of the South, editor Studies in American Naturalism 5. John Dudley, University of South Dakota
Saturday, May 27, 2023 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm
Session 21-I, Business Meeting: Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser Societies
Conference details may be found at the American Literature Association web site: ALA Annual Conference – The American Literature Association
Palmer House, Chicago
Norris and Dreiser Sessions at ALA (Chicago, May 26-29, 2022)
Thursday, May 26, 2022 4:30 – 5:50 p.m.
Session 6-L Business Meeting: International Theodore Dreiser Society
Saturday, May 28, 2022 1:00-2:20 p.m.
Session 17-I American Literary Naturalism and the Asian(ized) Other
Chair: Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
Organized by the Frank Norris Society
1. “Frank Norris’s Yellow Peril Commodities: Feminized Labor and Asian Commodification in Frank Norris’s Fiction.” Ryan Wander, The College of Idaho
2. “Frank Norris’s Sinophobia/Sinophilia.” Sheng-mei Ma, Michigan State University
Saturday, May 28, 2022 2:30-3:50 pm
Session 18-I Rethinking the Grotesque and Sick Body in American Literary Naturalism
Chair: Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University
Organized by the Frank Norris Society
1. “Gothic Body/Gothic Monster: Zerkow and Trina in Frank Norris’s McTeague.” Nicole de Fee, Louisiana Tech University 58
2. “Dreiser and the Psychometric Left.” Jude Davies, University of Winchester
3. “‘He’s Not Right, Really’: Chemisms, The Hand of the Potter, and Contemporary Neurobiology.” Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
Conference details may be found at the American Literature Association web site:
https://americanliteratureassociation.org/ala-conferences/ala-annual-conference/
Thursday, May 26, 2022 4:30 – 5:50 p.m.
Session 6-L Business Meeting: International Theodore Dreiser Society
Saturday, May 28, 2022 1:00-2:20 p.m.
Session 17-I American Literary Naturalism and the Asian(ized) Other
Chair: Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
Organized by the Frank Norris Society
1. “Frank Norris’s Yellow Peril Commodities: Feminized Labor and Asian Commodification in Frank Norris’s Fiction.” Ryan Wander, The College of Idaho
2. “Frank Norris’s Sinophobia/Sinophilia.” Sheng-mei Ma, Michigan State University
Saturday, May 28, 2022 2:30-3:50 pm
Session 18-I Rethinking the Grotesque and Sick Body in American Literary Naturalism
Chair: Cara Kilgallen, Sacred Heart University
Organized by the Frank Norris Society
1. “Gothic Body/Gothic Monster: Zerkow and Trina in Frank Norris’s McTeague.” Nicole de Fee, Louisiana Tech University 58
2. “Dreiser and the Psychometric Left.” Jude Davies, University of Winchester
3. “‘He’s Not Right, Really’: Chemisms, The Hand of the Potter, and Contemporary Neurobiology.” Adam H. Wood, Valdosta State University
Conference details may be found at the American Literature Association web site:
https://americanliteratureassociation.org/ala-conferences/ala-annual-conference/
The Great Books, National Review Podcast:
Episode 216: Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
February 22, 2022
John J. Miller is joined by Miriam Gogol of Mercy College for an edifying discussion of Theodore Dreiser’s first novel Sister Carrie. Miriam is the current president of the International Dreiser Society. Follow this link to hear the podcast.
Episode 216: Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
February 22, 2022
John J. Miller is joined by Miriam Gogol of Mercy College for an edifying discussion of Theodore Dreiser’s first novel Sister Carrie. Miriam is the current president of the International Dreiser Society. Follow this link to hear the podcast.
Dreiser--Shadows of Meaning
Terre Haute Sculpture Honors Theodore Dreiser
In Terre Haute, Art Spaces erected a sculpture to honor Theodore Dreiser. The theme for the sculpture captures well Dreiser's literary significance.
Dreiser – Shadows of Meaning is a unique sculpture that contains an engaging collection of writer Theodore Dreiser’s phrases gathered from his works. It offers viewers a varied experience, depending on their distance from the sculpture as well as the daily path of the sun which, on occasion, will create shadows of Dreiser’s words on the pavement, reminiscent of his quote: “Words are but vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes.”
It is located near the north entrance of the Vigo County Public Library main branch on Walnut Street.
In Terre Haute, Art Spaces erected a sculpture to honor Theodore Dreiser. The theme for the sculpture captures well Dreiser's literary significance.
Dreiser – Shadows of Meaning is a unique sculpture that contains an engaging collection of writer Theodore Dreiser’s phrases gathered from his works. It offers viewers a varied experience, depending on their distance from the sculpture as well as the daily path of the sun which, on occasion, will create shadows of Dreiser’s words on the pavement, reminiscent of his quote: “Words are but vague shadows of the volumes we mean. Little audible links, they are, chaining together great inaudible feelings and purposes.”
It is located near the north entrance of the Vigo County Public Library main branch on Walnut Street.
150 Years Since the Birth of Theodore Dreiser, The Great American Novelist
On the World Socialist Web Site, David Walsh celebrates Dreiser’s 150th birthday by reviewing Dreiser’s writings and their social significance.
150th Anniversary of Theodore Dreiser's Birth (August 27, 1871)
CFP: The Russian journal Literature of the Americas is dedicating its November 2021 issue to Theodore Dreiser's 150th anniversary. The issue will be a collection of essays on Dreiser. (Link to CFP for Literature of the Americas)
CFP: The Russian State University for the Humanities (Moscow, Russia) is holding a conference May 13-14, 2021 (both online and in person), and they will have a roundtable discussion devoted to the 150th anniversary of Dreiser's birth. (Link to CFP for the Russian State University Conference)
Dreiser Society CFP (ALA, San Diego, May 21-24, 2020)
The ALA conference scheduled for May 21-24, 2020 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego has been cancelled but will return to Boston in 2021.
Theodore Dreiser Recalled, edited by Donald Pizer
Clemson University Press just published Theodore Dreiser Recalled, edited by Donald Pizer, a book that brings together published and unpublished memoirs about Theodore Dreiser. his politics, personal life, and literary reception.
http://blogs.clemson.edu/press/2017/08/07/forthcoming-theodore-dreiser-recalled-edited-by-donald-pizer/
Florentine Opera Releases a Recording of Sister Carrie
Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein's Sister Carrie, the latest world-premiere recording of by the Grammy Award-winning Florentine Opera, will be released by the Naxos label for worldwide distribution on Friday, September 8, 2017.
Theo and His Brother Paul: A One Act Play
Art Spaces and Vigo County Public Library are pleased to present
Theo and His Brother Paul: A New Play in One Act by D. S. Weatherston
Sister Carrie: A World-Premiere Opera
Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will perform Sister Carrie in October. On their web site, the song “Everything Is Paid For” is performed by Adriana Zabala. http://www.florentineopera.org/events/sister-carrie/
Stephen C. Brennan, Scholar, Editor, and Friend
On May 30, Stephen C. Brennan, a founding member of the International Theodore Dreiser Society, died. For the past 20 years, he co-edited the society’s journals Dreiser Studies and Studies in American Naturalism. An excellent editor, an insightful scholar, and a good friend, he will be missed greatly. His obituary appeared in the The New Orleans Advocate.
Re-Launch of the Dreiser Edition by Winchester University Press
On Friday, 20 May 2016, Winchester University Press will mark the publication of The Titan (Dreiser Edition) with a panel lecture in London titled “Theodore Dreiser: From Transatlantic Censorship to Scholarly Editions.” Sponsored by the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library in collaboration with Winchester University Press, the lecture by Jude Davies and Roark Mulligan discusses historical censorship as it affects scholarly editing. For more information, see the British Library website: http://www.bl.uk/events/theodore-dreiser-from-transatlantic-censorship-to-scholarly-editions#sthash.IiFOGR37.dpuf
Dreiser Society Panels at ALA (San Francisco, May 26-29, 2016)
Panel 1: Theodore Dreiser, Open Topic
Chair: Linda Kornasky, Angelo State University
1. “The Science of Crime in Dreiser’s Fiction,” John Dudley, University of South Dakota
2. “Dreiser Weaving: Patterns, Designs, and Female Labor,” Craig Carey, University of Southern Mississippi
3. “Economic Colonization in An American Tragedy,” Andrew Spencer, Virginia Commonwealth University
4. “Cityscape as Literary Space: Representing Turn-of-the-Century American Cities in Theodore Dreiser’s Novels,” Heather Yuping Wang, Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Panel 2: Global Dreiser
Chair: Linda Kornasky, Angelo State University
1. “Local Color and the Picturesque in Dreiser Looks at Russia” Gary Totten, North Dakota State University
2. "Russia Looks at Dreiser," Katerina Kozhevnikova, University of Copenhagen
3. “‘Not dead and scholastic but living like the smell of violets’: Literary Criticism and Social Change in the Correspondence between Theodore Dreiser and Sergei Dinamov, 1926-37,” Jude Davies, University of Winchester
Dreiser Online
Roger W. Smith’s website Dreiser Online has moved to a new address https://dreiseronlinecom.wordpress.com/. The new site incorporates Smiths’ previous bibliographic research but now includes his recent biographic discoveries, including Smith’s research on L. A. Hopkins (Lorenzo A. Hopkins), the model for Sister Carrie’s George Hurstwood, about whom little has been known.
Dreiser on "Life at Sixty-Seven"
An essay by Theodore Dreiser “Life at Sixty-Seven” (1939) appears in a recent book by Joshua Prager, a New York journalist. Titled 100 Years, the book includes quotations by great writers on every age, from birth to one hundred. Together, the passages lay out the arc of a human life http://books.wwnorton.com/books/100-Years/. Age sixty-seven is given over to Dreiser. His essay on aging, which originally appeared in The Rotarian, is full of insights, on the passions that remain and those that fall away. Dreiser’s description of solitaire, a game he loved, reminds me of the knight playing chess with death in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal.
Sister Carrie Recommended by the Department of Labor
The US Department of Labor recommends Sister Carrie as a novel that depicts changing labor practices: "Sister Carrie, a novel by Theodore Dreiser, chronicles the experiences of Carrie Meeber, a young woman who leaves her home in rural Wisconsin in search of a better life in Chicago. Once there, she achieves fame and fortune as an actress, along the way violating the conventional social norms for women of the time. Against this backdrop, the book sheds light on not only changing mores of turn-of-the-century America, but also the mass migration of rural Americans to big cities in search of new lives and livelihoods."
Dreiser's Novel in Reddit's Top Twenty-Six
In a compilation of 11 lists of the best novels, An American Tragedy is in the top 26. For more information and the entire list see the reddit article Top Books Derived from 11 "Top 100" Lists.
Terre Haute Celebrates Dreiser
To celebrate the centennial of Theodore Dreiser's travel book A Hoosier Holiday, the Terre Haute Tribune Star published an extensive article, with insightful comments by our society's co-founder Miriam Gogol. The article mentions plans for a sculpture honoring Dreiser--work will begin on the sculpture in 2016. Link to "Remembering Dreiser's Evocative Journey Home, "A Hoosier Holiday," A Century Ago":
On the World Socialist Web Site, David Walsh celebrates Dreiser’s 150th birthday by reviewing Dreiser’s writings and their social significance.
150th Anniversary of Theodore Dreiser's Birth (August 27, 1871)
CFP: The Russian journal Literature of the Americas is dedicating its November 2021 issue to Theodore Dreiser's 150th anniversary. The issue will be a collection of essays on Dreiser. (Link to CFP for Literature of the Americas)
CFP: The Russian State University for the Humanities (Moscow, Russia) is holding a conference May 13-14, 2021 (both online and in person), and they will have a roundtable discussion devoted to the 150th anniversary of Dreiser's birth. (Link to CFP for the Russian State University Conference)
Dreiser Society CFP (ALA, San Diego, May 21-24, 2020)
The ALA conference scheduled for May 21-24, 2020 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego has been cancelled but will return to Boston in 2021.
Theodore Dreiser Recalled, edited by Donald Pizer
Clemson University Press just published Theodore Dreiser Recalled, edited by Donald Pizer, a book that brings together published and unpublished memoirs about Theodore Dreiser. his politics, personal life, and literary reception.
http://blogs.clemson.edu/press/2017/08/07/forthcoming-theodore-dreiser-recalled-edited-by-donald-pizer/
Florentine Opera Releases a Recording of Sister Carrie
Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein's Sister Carrie, the latest world-premiere recording of by the Grammy Award-winning Florentine Opera, will be released by the Naxos label for worldwide distribution on Friday, September 8, 2017.
Theo and His Brother Paul: A One Act Play
Art Spaces and Vigo County Public Library are pleased to present
Theo and His Brother Paul: A New Play in One Act by D. S. Weatherston
- Staged Reading – Directed by Arthur Feinsod
- Thursday, March 9 at 5:00 p.m.
- The Indiana Theater, 683 Ohio Street, Terre Haute
- Tickets are $30.00 and may be purchased online through PayPal at http://www.wabashvalleyartspaces.com, in person at Art Spaces, Inc., 669 Ohio Street, Terre Haute, IN, or by phone: 812-235-2801.
- Proceeds from the event will support Courage in Language and Thought – The Dreiser Legacy, a new Art Spaces sculpture to honor Theodore Dreiser, to be placed adjacent to the north (Walnut Street) entrance of Vigo County Public Library.
Sister Carrie: A World-Premiere Opera
Florentine Opera Company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will perform Sister Carrie in October. On their web site, the song “Everything Is Paid For” is performed by Adriana Zabala. http://www.florentineopera.org/events/sister-carrie/
Stephen C. Brennan, Scholar, Editor, and Friend
On May 30, Stephen C. Brennan, a founding member of the International Theodore Dreiser Society, died. For the past 20 years, he co-edited the society’s journals Dreiser Studies and Studies in American Naturalism. An excellent editor, an insightful scholar, and a good friend, he will be missed greatly. His obituary appeared in the The New Orleans Advocate.
Re-Launch of the Dreiser Edition by Winchester University Press
On Friday, 20 May 2016, Winchester University Press will mark the publication of The Titan (Dreiser Edition) with a panel lecture in London titled “Theodore Dreiser: From Transatlantic Censorship to Scholarly Editions.” Sponsored by the Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library in collaboration with Winchester University Press, the lecture by Jude Davies and Roark Mulligan discusses historical censorship as it affects scholarly editing. For more information, see the British Library website: http://www.bl.uk/events/theodore-dreiser-from-transatlantic-censorship-to-scholarly-editions#sthash.IiFOGR37.dpuf
Dreiser Society Panels at ALA (San Francisco, May 26-29, 2016)
Panel 1: Theodore Dreiser, Open Topic
Chair: Linda Kornasky, Angelo State University
1. “The Science of Crime in Dreiser’s Fiction,” John Dudley, University of South Dakota
2. “Dreiser Weaving: Patterns, Designs, and Female Labor,” Craig Carey, University of Southern Mississippi
3. “Economic Colonization in An American Tragedy,” Andrew Spencer, Virginia Commonwealth University
4. “Cityscape as Literary Space: Representing Turn-of-the-Century American Cities in Theodore Dreiser’s Novels,” Heather Yuping Wang, Nanjing University of Science and Technology
Panel 2: Global Dreiser
Chair: Linda Kornasky, Angelo State University
1. “Local Color and the Picturesque in Dreiser Looks at Russia” Gary Totten, North Dakota State University
2. "Russia Looks at Dreiser," Katerina Kozhevnikova, University of Copenhagen
3. “‘Not dead and scholastic but living like the smell of violets’: Literary Criticism and Social Change in the Correspondence between Theodore Dreiser and Sergei Dinamov, 1926-37,” Jude Davies, University of Winchester
Dreiser Online
Roger W. Smith’s website Dreiser Online has moved to a new address https://dreiseronlinecom.wordpress.com/. The new site incorporates Smiths’ previous bibliographic research but now includes his recent biographic discoveries, including Smith’s research on L. A. Hopkins (Lorenzo A. Hopkins), the model for Sister Carrie’s George Hurstwood, about whom little has been known.
Dreiser on "Life at Sixty-Seven"
An essay by Theodore Dreiser “Life at Sixty-Seven” (1939) appears in a recent book by Joshua Prager, a New York journalist. Titled 100 Years, the book includes quotations by great writers on every age, from birth to one hundred. Together, the passages lay out the arc of a human life http://books.wwnorton.com/books/100-Years/. Age sixty-seven is given over to Dreiser. His essay on aging, which originally appeared in The Rotarian, is full of insights, on the passions that remain and those that fall away. Dreiser’s description of solitaire, a game he loved, reminds me of the knight playing chess with death in Bergman’s The Seventh Seal.
Sister Carrie Recommended by the Department of Labor
The US Department of Labor recommends Sister Carrie as a novel that depicts changing labor practices: "Sister Carrie, a novel by Theodore Dreiser, chronicles the experiences of Carrie Meeber, a young woman who leaves her home in rural Wisconsin in search of a better life in Chicago. Once there, she achieves fame and fortune as an actress, along the way violating the conventional social norms for women of the time. Against this backdrop, the book sheds light on not only changing mores of turn-of-the-century America, but also the mass migration of rural Americans to big cities in search of new lives and livelihoods."
Dreiser's Novel in Reddit's Top Twenty-Six
In a compilation of 11 lists of the best novels, An American Tragedy is in the top 26. For more information and the entire list see the reddit article Top Books Derived from 11 "Top 100" Lists.
Terre Haute Celebrates Dreiser
To celebrate the centennial of Theodore Dreiser's travel book A Hoosier Holiday, the Terre Haute Tribune Star published an extensive article, with insightful comments by our society's co-founder Miriam Gogol. The article mentions plans for a sculpture honoring Dreiser--work will begin on the sculpture in 2016. Link to "Remembering Dreiser's Evocative Journey Home, "A Hoosier Holiday," A Century Ago":
Copyright © 2019
Images courtesy of Theodore Dreiser Papers, University of Pennsylvania
Contact: dreisersociety@gmail.com
Images courtesy of Theodore Dreiser Papers, University of Pennsylvania
Contact: dreisersociety@gmail.com