James T. Farrell
James T. Farrell documented the Irish-American working-class world of Chicago's South Side with Zolaesque naturalism in his Studs Lonigan trilogy. His unflinching sociology of poverty and failed aspiration influenced later urban fiction.
Works
- Studs LoniganTrilogy of Irish American boy's coming of age amid urban poverty and violence
- Young LoniganFirst volume following young Irish American protagonist toward adulthood on Chicago streets
- The Young Manhood of Studs LoniganSecond volume tracing protagonist's development through adolescence in urban environment
- Judgment DayFinal volume of trilogy depicting protagonist's decline amid economic collapse and failure
- Gas-House McGintyNovel of working-class men and their struggles in Depression-era Chicago neighborhoods