Jennie Gerhardt

Jennie Gerhardt (1911) is a novel by Theodore Dreiser. Controversial for its honest depiction of work, desire, and urban life, Jennie Gerhardt has endured as a classic of naturalist fiction and remains a powerful example of social critique over a century after its publication. Originally titled The Transgressor, the novel was shelved by Dreiser following a nervous breakdown in 1903. Controversial upon publication, Jennie Gerhardt has been largely overshadowed by Dreiser’s other works, but undoubtedly deserves renewed attention from readers and critics alike. In Columbus, Ohio, Jennie Gerhardt struggles to make ends meet while working at a popular hotel. There, she encounters a United States Senator, who takes a liking to her and offers his help with finances. Wary at first, Jennie acquiesces, and soon grows to care for the older man. She becomes pregnant and Senator Brander promises to marry her, but an outbreak of typhoid claims him as one of its victims. Left to raise a daughter on her own, Jennie moves to Cleveland to look for work. Employed as a lady’s maid, she soon meets the son of a wealthy industrialist who seems to have her best interests in mind. In order to stay with him, however, she hides her daughter by leaving her with her mother, and joins Lester on a trip to New York. Jennie Gerhardt is a story of tragedy and hope, of one woman determined to get more out of life than was promised to her at birth. This edition of Theodore Dreiser’s Jennie Gerhardt is a classic of American literature reimagined for modern readers. Since our inception in 2020, Mint Editions has kept sustainability and innovation at the forefront of our mission. Each and every Mint Edition title gets a fresh, professionally typeset manuscript and a dazzling new cover, all while maintaining the integrity of the original book. With thousands of titles in our collection, we aim to spotlight diverse public domain works to help them find modern audiences. Mint Editions celebrates a breadth of literary works, curated from both canonical and overlooked classics from writers around the globe.