Allegory in the Major Fiction of Frank Norris

Abstract

<p>Frank Norris is generally recognised by critics as American literature's first naturalist. But there is enough evidence in Norris' writing -- primarily the extensive use of allegory and allegorical symbolism -- to suggest another interpretation of his work. Norris seems to be much more in tune with the romantic literary heritage of America than he is with the Zolaesque naturalism he imported from France. Through a study of these allegorical tendencies in the major fiction of Frank Norris, the reader discovers the strong links that Norris has with his literary heritage and finds him to be as much an allegorist as a naturalist.</p>