Mr. Theodore Dreiser shows admirable craftsmanship
in "The
Financier" (Harpers). This is the story of the career of Frank
Cowperwood, who from small beginnings grows to be a commanding
figure in the financial world. His sensational success, which
comes after a failure and some months in prison, comes from his
shrewdness in appreciating the significance of the failure of Jay
Cooke and Company, which caused the panic of 1873, and
speculating
accordingly. As a picture of a certain type of strong-willed,
able, brilliant, unscrupulous men of business, as a study of
financial conditions during an interesting period and as a
stirring
narrative, "The Financier" deserves high praise. But Arnold
Bennett has mentioned Mr. Dreiser as a writer, "whose work truly
reflects current literary tendencies." And this comment is
unfortunately true. This book shows the effect of deliberately
reflecting "current literary tendencies," in its studied
sordidness
and highly artificial eroticism. There is a definite and
unsuccessful attempt at realism in the description of
Cowperwood's
love-affairs, an attempt which in some places makes almost
ridiculous what might have been an admirable piece of work.
