Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,2, University of Gottingen, language: English, abstract: With his "Theory of the Leisure Class" (1899), which is nowadays considered one of his most popular works, Veblen made himself a social outsider because his criticism of society was harsh and provoking. Although he accepted utilitarianism and praised the industrial efficiency of the engineering professions, he rejected what Mills calls the American value of the "heraldry of the greenback" and the "pecuniary fanatism of the business chieftain." Still...

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,4, University of Gottingen, language: English, abstract: When Melville wrote "Bartleby, The Scrivener," he was in a state of intense despair and a feeling of rejection had come over him because his former works such as "Moby Dick" and "Pierre" had not received the attention and appreciation he had expected. Many critics consider Melville's failure to reach the contemporary readership to have influenced his later works such as the "Piazza Tales" (Dan McCall, The Silence Of Bartleby., p. 38). Some even...

Seminar paper from the year 2003 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,7, University of Gottingen, language: English, abstract: In his novel "An American Tragedy," Theodore Dreiser presents characters with various pychological disorders. This research paper will focus on the narcissism of selected characters in that novel. Firstly, the term narcissism and typical symptoms will be explained. Secondly, the most important characters in the novel will be analysed. Lastly, I will try to explain possible reasons for Dreiser's viewpoints and describe his social background."