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Showing reviews 1-5 of 47
 A forgotten classic May 6, 2010
S. Fraser
This has to be one of the greatest medical/scientific novels but rarely seems to be read these days. Lewis won the Pulitzer prize for it and later won a Nobel literature prize but he seems generally forgotten these days.
Anyways I think this is his best book - a great insight into scientific research as well as a cracking story.
 Excellent, Unusual Lewis May 3, 2010
Bill R. Moore (Oklahoma, USA)
Arrowsmith is one of Sinclair Lewis' best works and has an important place in American literature. A major twentieth century novel, it is essential for anyone interested in Lewis, and multiple differences from his other work make it worthwhile for others.
The book has significant style and plot similarities to prior Lewis novels; for example, the small town/country doctor bit recalls Main Street, and the Zenith section recalls - and even briefly features the title character of - Babbitt. Lewis is known as a satirist, and those novels virtually epitomize the genre, but Arrowsmith is not satire. It has satirical elements and is sometimes humorous but is essentially a straight realist novel with a more or less straight-up hero. Thus, though Lewis' absolute realism mastery is as strong as ever, one might think Arrowsmith sounds pedestrian or dull. This is thankfully not so because the title hero was a new type - an exponent of scientific idealism. The novel initially seems to offer an interesting but inherently limited inside look at the early twentieth century medical profession and is indeed valuable here as far as it goes. We get a good idea of what things such as medical school, internships, country practice, public health, and urban practice were like. Medicine has of course changed much since Arrowsmith's 1925 publication, giving it notable historical value, but the depiction is still largely accurate, lending considerable insight into an important profession. Lewis' usual excellences are also on prominent display. We get a panoramic grand tour of post-World War I, pre-Great Depression America from mid-size and urban Midwestern towns to the rural West to Chicago, New York, and more. Anyone curious about the era will learn much about everything from speech to social etiquette to fashion. We even get a rare up-close glimpse of an exotic non-American setting; this section is noteworthy for its grim realism and tragedy, showing Lewis has more range than he usually gets credit for. Lewis also continues his penetrating analysis of all that was hollow and cheap about American society, critiquing capitalism and honing in on race, class, and gender issues among others. He was noticeably ahead of his time here and says much that is important.
Far more significant, though, is Lewis' portrait of Arrowsmith the scientist, an idealist dedicated to pure research. Like Main, the novel came at just the right time to ride a cultural wave; the idolization - one might almost say "cult" - of science so prominent in American society was really beginning, and Arrowsmith became its prototype. This vehicle lets Lewis explore important themes like the pros and cons of various medical specialties, medical ethics, medicine's social role, the economics of medicine, etc. The central issue is the all-important question of pure vs. applied research; Lewis clearly champions the latter but makes good arguments for the former, which cannot simply be dismissed.
Yet this is not just a book about medicine or science; Arrowsmith has typological significance beyond the obvious. Critics of Main and Babbitt often complain that Lewis fails to see or ignores the near-spiritual idealism at Americana's heart. Arrowsmith takes it up. The protagonist's devotion to science is in many ways only a then-new way of showing the remarkable single-minded devotion running through American culture from the Puritans to the Founding Fathers to the Transcendentalists to Lincoln to the Progressive Era - to the science aesthetic. Arrowsmith was thus both the new and the classic American gospel, and Lewis preached to a supremely receptive audience, making him almost as much journalist as prophet. Like other Lewis works, the novel is thus worth reading as the portrait of an era, epitomizing a spiritual strain prominent before the Depression. But is also more than this - in fact speaks to a yearning at American culture's very heart. We may or may not agree with Arrowsmith; we may not even like him, as he can be easily denigrated in several ways. However, he is a hero in a way prior Lewis protagonists were not; Lewis clearly sympathizes rather than using him as a mockery target. A magnificent creation, fully alive and thoroughly believable, he is one of Lewis' best characters. Secondary characters are also unusually strong; Lewis had been lambasted for stock types, and there are certainly some here, but the major characters Leora and Gottlieb are also great. The former is widely recognized as Lewis' best female character, more earthy and sympathetic than Main's ambivalently depicted Carol; the latter is an idealist much like Arrowsmith but with many of his own nuances. Even less fully drawn characters are invariably interesting, bringing out these three by contrast or giving comic relief.
The novel is not perfect. Its uniqueness may disappoint those wanting Lewis' usual style, though enough of that remains for its detractors to be unsatisfied also. For instance, some object to his episodic plots; Arrowsmith is more tightly written than Main or Babbitt but still essentially episodic, and tactics used to make it seem less so - recurring characters, a "Where are they now?" ending that still seems arbitrary - often seem contrived. Some may also find the ending, with its overt modernization of Transcendentalism's nature obsession, quite strained. That said, execution is generally strong, and Lewis' conversational verisimilitude is at full strength.
All told, this is a must for fans, but anyone curious about Lewis should know that this is not representative. Elmer Gantry, Main, and Babbitt are probably better introductions, and those who do not like Arrowsmith should try one of them. In the end, though, the novel is strong enough to stand on its own and is highly recommended for anyone interested in American literature.
As for this edition, it has a fine Afterword by noted Lewis scholar Mark Schorer with background on Lewis, the novel, and the historical context plus some initial analysis; there is also a short bibliography. Several later editions are likely at least as good, but anyone who comes across this will get a quality version.
Excellent, Unusual Lewis May 3, 2010
Bill R. Moore (Oklahoma, USA)
Arrowsmith is one of Sinclair Lewis' best works and has an important place in American literature. A major twentieth century novel, it is essential for anyone interested in Lewis, and multiple differences from his other work make it worthwhile for others.
The book has significant style and plot similarities to prior Lewis novels; for example, the small town/country doctor bit recalls Main Street, and the Zenith section recalls - and even briefly features the title character of - Babbitt. Lewis is known as a satirist, and those novels virtually epitomize the genre, but Arrowsmith is not satire. It has satirical elements and is sometimes humorous but is essentially a straight realist novel with a more or less straight-up hero. Thus, though Lewis' absolute realism mastery is as strong as ever, one might think Arrowsmith sounds pedestrian or dull. This is thankfully not so because the title hero was a new type - an exponent of scientific idealism. The novel initially seems to offer an interesting but inherently limited inside look at the early twentieth century medical profession and is indeed valuable here as far as it goes. We get a good idea of what things such as medical school, internships, country practice, public health, and urban practice were like. Medicine has of course changed much since Arrowsmith's 1925 publication, giving it notable historical value, but the depiction is still largely accurate, lending considerable insight into an important profession. Lewis' usual excellences are also on prominent display. We get a panoramic grand tour of post-World War I, pre-Great Depression America from mid-size and urban Midwestern towns to the rural West to Chicago, New York, and more. Anyone curious about the era will learn much about everything from speech to social etiquette to fashion. We even get a rare up-close glimpse of an exotic non-American setting; this section is noteworthy for its grim realism and tragedy, showing Lewis has more range than he usually gets credit for. Lewis also continues his penetrating analysis of all that was hollow and cheap about American society, critiquing capitalism and honing in on race, class, and gender issues among others. He was noticeably ahead of his time here and says much that is important.
Far more significant, though, is Lewis' portrait of Arrowsmith the scientist, an idealist dedicated to pure research. Like Main, the novel came at just the right time to ride a cultural wave; the idolization - one might almost say "cult" - of science so prominent in American society was really beginning, and Arrowsmith became its prototype. This vehicle lets Lewis explore important themes like the pros and cons of various medical specialties, medical ethics, medicine's social role, the economics of medicine, etc. The central issue is the all-important question of pure vs. applied research; Lewis clearly champions the latter but makes good arguments for the former, which cannot simply be dismissed.
Yet this is not just a book about medicine or science; Arrowsmith has typological significance beyond the obvious. Critics of Main and Babbitt often complain that Lewis fails to see or ignores the near-spiritual idealism at Americana's heart. Arrowsmith takes it up. The protagonist's devotion to science is in many ways only a then-new way of showing the remarkable single-minded devotion running through American culture from the Puritans to the Founding Fathers to the Transcendentalists to Lincoln to the Progressive Era - to the science aesthetic. Arrowsmith was thus both the new and the classic American gospel, and Lewis preached to a supremely receptive audience, making him almost as much journalist as prophet. Like other Lewis works, the novel is thus worth reading as the portrait of an era, epitomizing a spiritual strain prominent before the Depression. But is also more than this - in fact speaks to a yearning at American culture's very heart. We may or may not agree with Arrowsmith; we may not even like him, as he can be easily denigrated in several ways. However, he is a hero in a way prior Lewis protagonists were not; Lewis clearly sympathizes rather than using him as a mockery target. A magnificent creation, fully alive and thoroughly believable, he is one of Lewis' best characters. Secondary characters are also unusually strong; Lewis had been lambasted for stock types, and there are certainly some here, but the major characters Leora and Gottlieb are also great. The former is widely recognized as Lewis' best female character, more earthy and sympathetic than Main's ambivalently depicted Carol; the latter is an idealist much like Arrowsmith but with many of his own nuances. Even less fully drawn characters are invariably interesting, bringing out these three by contrast or giving comic relief.
The novel is not perfect. Its uniqueness may disappoint those wanting Lewis' usual style, though enough of that remains for its detractors to be unsatisfied also. For instance, some object to his episodic plots; Arrowsmith is more tightly written than Main or Babbitt but still essentially episodic, and tactics used to make it seem less so - recurring characters, a "Where are they now?" ending that still seems arbitrary - often seem contrived. Some may also find the ending, with its overt modernization of Transcendentalism's nature obsession, quite strained. That said, execution is generally strong, and Lewis' conversational verisimilitude is at full strength.
All told, this is a must for fans, but anyone curious about Lewis should know that this is not representative. Elmer Gantry, Main, and Babbitt are probably better introductions, and those who do not like Arrowsmith should try one of them. In the end, though, the novel is strong enough to stand on its own and is highly recommended for anyone interested in American literature.
What a Great Doctor -- the Great Man Theory's Proof February 4, 2010
Miami Bob (Miami, FL United States)
Intellectually driven people are as F. Scott Fitzgerald would say: different. Eponymously named, this book follows the post-collegiate years of Arrowsmith to his early midlife, with great tales of unending frustration of not being the captain of his own ship.
Often we love to watch the weak excel and do extraordinary things - Forrest Gump being the most obvious. But, after such people achieve such great goals, we learn they are more than just "different" but really extraordinary.
Being a medical student, one would think Arrowsmith is extraordinary. But, we learn, his struggles in and out of school are quite reflective of an ordinary person with ordinary abilities. Being thrust out of towns in South Dakota and Iowa, he seems to be a wrong fit for even grossly normal society.
But, catlike coincidences abound and he ends up stopping the plague in the West Indies, and has experiments successfully deliver answers to medical mysteries which no man had previously resolved. His unending intellectual appetite never subsides, and from his perseverance he can assert acclaim and even fortune.
But, his quest is not for anything more than the hunger to kill for more intellectual achievement. Noble is the man who seeks to help other man. Not the man who seeks to pad his own pocket with pharmaceuticals or patents or other money-constituted ventures which many people did or would do in his position. Arrowsmith is a rare man in American capitalistic society.
Even after marrying a multi-millionaire (after being a widower to a plain Jane girl from the Dakotas), he wants to be left out of society's primrose elite and seeks retreat to forested Vermont, with outhouses and laboratories which cannot be interrupted. He is the personification of the great man theory: a philosophical theory that aims to explain history by the impact of `great men', or heroes: highly influential individuals who, due to either their personal charisma, intelligence and wisdom or Machiavellianism, used power in a way that had a decisive historical impact.
It has been many years since reading a Sinclair Lewis novel - in fact this is the first time I did so voluntarily. Babbitt and Main Street were required reading in junior or senior high. And, whenever you are required to read something, it seems to be less satisfying.
I was very impressed and pleasantly surprised that this author is as good as the teachers had apparently thought he was.
Strangely compelling January 10, 2010
RideTheCatfish (South Dakota)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Lewis writes, in very basic prose, of a turn-of-the-century man and his love for science. We follow young Martin Arrowsmith through his schooling and then into the upper echelons of doctor's officies, hospitals and laboratories. He grapples with several women and gradually finds himself staring down the figurative barrel of an increasingly-ignorant and hypocritical society. Some things go well for Arrowsmith, some things don't, and it's all wrapped up with a climactic, surreal and satisfying conclusion. I'd say it's a Great American Novel if there ever was one, and certainly another testament to Lewis's mastery.
And oddly enough, I found Arrowsmith's story to be every bit as compelling as the finest of the thriller and mystery genres. A cursory glance will more than likely yield skepticism, but give it a few pages and you'll more than likely be hooked. Despite its subject matter, the novel rarely demands familiarity with the world of science and medicine. Lewis's writing is simple, easy to follow along with, and never dry or rambling. Those who are tired of being force-fed Fitzgerald and Steinbeck and Salinger, but still want to sample some of the early 20th Century's greatest literature, should invest some time in Lewis's work. He's a criminally overlooked novelist who deserves a hell of a lot more attention than he gets these days.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 47
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