西奥多·德莱赛是20世纪时期美国著名的自然主义作家,甚至可以说他是20世纪美国文学史上最伟大的作家之一。其父亲是德国移民,笃信天主教。他的经历十分坎坷,由于兄妹众多,家境十分贫寒,为了生计,德莱塞在中学时就辍学,到社会上谋求生路。后来他在一位中学老师的帮助下,进入了印第安纳大学,但是仅仅一年以后,他再次辍学。虽然辍学,但是在大学专修文学的一年时间里,他大量阅读了达尔文、赫胥黎等人著作,这些作品中 Theodore Dresser, the famous American naturalistic writer of the 20th century, could even say that he was one of the greatest writers in the history of American literature in the 20th century. His father is German immigrants, believe in Catholicism. His experience was very rough. Due to the large number of brothers and sisters, his family was very poor. To make a living, Dreiser dropped out of school in high school and sought a way out in the community. Later, with the help of a high school teacher, he entered Indiana University, but only dropped out of school a year later. Although dropping out of school, in the year he spent his college majoring in literature, he read a number of books by Darwin, Huxley and others