McTeague is an 1899 novel by
Frank NorrisBenjamin Franklin Norris, Jr. was an American novelist, during the Progressive Era, writing predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague , The Octopus: A California Story , and The Pit .-Life:Frank Norris was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1870...
. The book describes the life of a turn-of-the-century dentist in San Francisco, named McTeague. The narrator never reveals McTeague's first name; he is referred to only as "Mac" by the other characters in the novel. The book was the basis for
Erich von StroheimErich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born star of the silent film age, lauded for his directorial work in which he was a proto-auteur. As an actor, he is noted for his arrogant Teutonic character parts which led him to be described as "not a character actor, but what a character!"...
's film,
GreedGreed is a dramatic silent film. One of the most famous lost films in cinema history it is also considered one of the greatest films ever...
.
McTeague is a man of limited intellect from a poor miner's family, who works as a dentist in San Francisco.
McTeague is an 1899 novel by
Frank NorrisBenjamin Franklin Norris, Jr. was an American novelist, during the Progressive Era, writing predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include McTeague , The Octopus: A California Story , and The Pit .-Life:Frank Norris was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1870...
. The book describes the life of a turn-of-the-century dentist in San Francisco, named McTeague. The narrator never reveals McTeague's first name; he is referred to only as "Mac" by the other characters in the novel. The book was the basis for
Erich von StroheimErich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born star of the silent film age, lauded for his directorial work in which he was a proto-auteur. As an actor, he is noted for his arrogant Teutonic character parts which led him to be described as "not a character actor, but what a character!"...
's film,
GreedGreed is a dramatic silent film. One of the most famous lost films in cinema history it is also considered one of the greatest films ever...
.
Plot summary
McTeague is a man of limited intellect from a poor miner's family, who works as a dentist in San Francisco. His best friend is a man named Marcus, who is dating a young woman named Trina, whom he brings by McTeague's parlor for dental work. McTeague becomes infatuated with her while working on her teeth, and Marcus graciously steps aside. McTeague successfully woos Trina. Shortly after McTeague and Trina have kissed and declared their love for each other, Trina discovers that she won $5000 from a lottery ticket. In the ensuing celebration Trina's mother, Mrs. Sieppe, announces that McTeague and Trina are getting married, even though Trina has previously declined to marry McTeague and Trina was unsure of her love for him. Marcus feels jealous, believing he would have gained from Trina's win had he not stood aside.
Trina and McTeague are married, and Trina proves to be a parsimonious wife. Mrs. Sieppe, along with the rest of her family, move away, leaving her alone with McTeague. She insists that McTeague never touch the principal of her $5000. She demands that they live on the earnings from McTeague's dental practice and a small amount of money she earns from carving small toy arcs for sale in her uncle's shop. Secretly, she accumulates savings in a locked trunk. Though the couple is happy, the friendship between Marcus and Mac deteriorates. Marcus demands "his share" of Trina's money, and a fight ensues in which he throws a knife at McTeague.
Catastrophe strikes the McTeagues when Marcus reports McTeague to the City for practicing dentistry without a license or
degreeA degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing a program of study.- History :...
. McTeague loses his practice and the couple is forced to move into successively poorer quarters as the former dentist drifts through a series of menial jobs. Trina becomes more and more miserly, the couple's life deteriorates, and, finally, McTeague leaves. Meanwhile, Trina falls completely under the spell of her money and withdraws it in gold from her uncle's firm so she can admire and handle the coins in her room, at one point spreading them over her bed and rolling around in them.
When McTeague returns, she refuses to give him any money. An enraged McTeague beats her to death, takes the money and flees to a mining community he had left years before. Fearing pursuit, he makes his way south towards Mexico. Meanwhile, Marcus hears about the murder and goes after McTeague, finally catching him in
Death ValleyDeath Valley is a desert located in the southwestern United States. It is the lowest, driest, and hottest location in North America. Badwater, a basin located within Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest elevation in North America at 282 ft below sea level...
. In the middle of the desert, the two fight over McTeague's remaining water and Trina's $5,000. McTeague kills Marcus, but as he dies, Marcus handcuffs himself to McTeague. The book ends with McTeague helplessly stranded in Death Valley, handcuffed to Marcus's corpse.
Other media
The book was adapted into
Erich von StroheimErich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born star of the silent film age, lauded for his directorial work in which he was a proto-auteur. As an actor, he is noted for his arrogant Teutonic character parts which led him to be described as "not a character actor, but what a character!"...
's film,
GreedGreed is a dramatic silent film. One of the most famous lost films in cinema history it is also considered one of the greatest films ever...
. McTeague was also the basis of an
operaOpera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score. Opera is part of the Western classical music tradition. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by
Robert AltmanRobert Bernard Altman was an American film director known for making films that are highly naturalistic, but with a stylized perspective...
,
William BolcomWilliam Elden Bolcom is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, two Grammy Awards, and the Detroit Music Award. Bolcom taught composition at the University of Michigan from 1973-2008. He is married to mezzo-soprano Joan...
, and
Arnold WeinsteinArnold Weinstein was an American playwright and librettist, best known for his collaborations with composer William Bolcom, including the operas McTeague, A View From the Bridge and A Wedding ....
.
External links
- McTeague at Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building and maintaining a free and openly accessible online digital library, including an archive of the World Wide Web....
(scanned books) (plain text)