Readers might not know a whole lot about Frank Norris due to his short life (1870-1902), but he is part of that school of modern style writers that include Theodore Dreiser and Stephen Crane. Annoying purple prose still lingering from the days of the Victorian Era? You will not find that here. Unfortunately, Norris died at the age of 32 due to a ruptured appendix. McTeague is probably the most well known of his works (published in 1899), even though a number of additional titles were published after his death. Now after having read McTeague, I can say that his loss is a greater tragedy for literature - for who knows what additional masterpieces might have awaited him?
McTeague is certainly an excellent novel, written by a writer with a keen ear for dialogue and also memorable description. The story involves a repugnant dentist named McTeague who is large sized, a bit dense, and clunky in his movements. He seems to be a bit of a boob, and readers will come to detest him when he takes advantage of one of his young female clients - Trina, while she is under anesthesia.
People were appalled by this scene when the novel was first published, and I can’t tell you enough how fresh the prose reads, and how ahead of his time Norris was. Oddly, Trina eventually becomes his wife, even though McTeague’s friend Marcus has expressed an interest in her. How it works is this: McTeague performs a surgery on Marcus’ tooth and in return, refuses payment. Marcus, on the other hand, agrees to “give up” Trina for the sake of that favor.
What a fine thing was this friendship between men! The dentist treats his friend for an ulcerated tooth and refuses payment; the friend reciprocates by giving up his girl. This was nobility…. nothing could ever estrange them. Now it was for life or death.This "life or death" statement carries much import, for we see it appear later on in the novel. McTeague eventually marries Trina, though neither member really loves the other. He seems to only admire her for her looks and feminine qualities and she only admires him because he is physically large and will protect her. Yet before they marry, Trina ends up winning $5,000 from a lottery, which she stores in the bank as a means of earning interest. Though her love of money becomes an obsession, she refuses to contribute any large amount for their wedding, always claiming they “can’t afford it.” Trina hoards cash whenever she can, and will spend the least amount possible, even at the risk of their marital health and happiness.
Article comments
1 - Phillip
Norris did write a masterpiece: The Octopus.
It's about the railroads sqeezing the life out of farmers. But it's much more than a social commentary novel. What a cast of characters, what scenes! It's about Life (including love, which Norris had found, just before his death).
McTeague was made into a silent film by Erich von Stroheim. I've never seen it, but it's supposed to be great.
2 - bliffle
I believe that the von Stroheim movie was titled "Greed", and it is an excellent movie.
3 - Jschneider
Thanks for the comments--I was vaguely familiar with the film and will probably check it out sometime. The full version is actually available via Google Vids/You Tube.
"The Octopus" sounds interesting and I'll be sure to put that on my book wish list. Norris & Dreiser are 2 writers I plan reading more of.