Theodore Dreiser

The Genius Theodore Dreiser

This story has its beginnings in the town of Alexandria, Illinois, between 1884 and 1889, at the timewhen the place had a population of somewhere near ten thousand. There was about it just enoughof the air of a city to relieve it of the sense of rural life. It had one street-car line, a theatre, -orrather, an opera house, so-called (why no one might say, for no opera was ever performed there)-two railroads, with their stations, and a business district, composed of four brisk sides to a publicsquare. In the square were the county court-house and four newspapers. These two morning andtwo evening papers made the population fairly aware of the fact that life was full of issues, local andnational, and that there were many interesting and varied things to do. On the edge of town, severallakes and a pretty stream-perhaps Alexandria's most pleasant feature-gave it an atmosphere notunakin to that of a moderate-priced summer resort. Architecturally the town was not new. It wasmostly built of wood, as all American towns were at this time, but laid out prettily in some sections, with houses that sat back in great yards, far from the streets, with flower beds, brick walks, andgreen trees as concomitants of a comfortable home life. Alexandria was a city of young Americans. Its spirit was young. Life was all before almost everybody. It was really good to be aliv