The Financier
What is The Financier about?
The Financier (1912) is the first volume of Theodore Dreiser’s Trilogy of Desire, based on the life of streetcar magnate Charles Tyson Yerkes. The novel follows Frank Cowperwood from his Philadelphia boyhood through his rise as a financial operator, his involvement in municipal corruption, and his imprisonment after the Panic of 1873. Dreiser portrays Cowperwood as a force of nature—brilliant, ruthless, and amoral—driven by an instinct for financial predation that mirrors the natural world’s survival of the fittest.
Main themes in The Financier
American capitalism
In The Financier, american capitalism provides a lens for understanding the story's core message.
Financial corruption
The presence of financial corruption in The Financier connects readers to its enduring relevance.
Social Darwinism
The presence of social darwinism in The Financier connects readers to its enduring relevance.
Robber barons
The Financier thoughtfully explores robber barons through its central conflicts.
Why The Financier is still relevant today
The Financier offers a penetrating study of American capitalism and the men who built it, as relevant to understanding Wall Street today as when published. Read it free online on TextStack.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Financier about?
The Financier follows Frank Cowperwood’s rise and fall as a financial operator in post-Civil War Philadelphia, based on the real life of streetcar magnate Charles Yerkes.
Where can I read The Financier online?
You can read The Financier by Theodore Dreiser free online on TextStack.