STUDS LONIGAN – A TRILOGY

STUDS LONIGAN – A TRILOGY
Author: James T. Farrell
Publisher: The Modern Library
Edition: 1938 Edition
Pages: 465

James T. Farrell’s Studs Lonigan – A Trilogy stands as a monumental achievement in American realist fiction. Published as a single volume in this 1938 Modern Library edition, the trilogy comprises three novels—Young Lonigan (1932), The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan (1934), and Judgment Day (1935). Together, they chart the rise and fall of Studs Lonigan, a promising young man from a devout Irish-Catholic family on the South Side of Chicago, whose life is gradually undone by social pressures, personal failures, and the grim realities of urban existence.

Through unflinching prose and psychological depth, Farrell exposes the limitations of the American Dream as lived by the working class during the Great Depression. Studs begins as a headstrong teenager full of ambition and bravado but gradually spirals into mediocrity, regret, and disillusionment. His story becomes a microcosm of a generation—trapped between rigid tradition, toxic masculinity, limited education, and economic uncertainty.

Farrell, deeply influenced by naturalism and Marxist thought, employs a style reminiscent of Theodore Dreiser and Sinclair Lewis. His realism is raw and relentless, marked by vivid street dialogue, philosophical undertones, and a penetrating critique of American society. While bleak, the trilogy is also rich with humanity—Farrell never moralizes, choosing instead to observe his characters with honesty and empathy.

As a document of urban life, religious influence, and psychological struggle, Studs Lonigan – A Trilogy is a landmark of 20th-century literature. It is as much a sociological case study as it is a literary masterpiece, offering readers both a gripping personal saga and an uncompromising look at the forces that shape (and often deform) the lives of ordinary people.

• Written by acclaimed American realist James T. Farrell.

• Published by The Modern Library in 1938 as a collected edition.

• Contains the full trilogy: Young Lonigan, The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, and Judgment Day.

• A definitive coming-of-age saga set in working-class Chicago.

• Critically acclaimed for its realism, psychological insight, and social commentary.

• A powerful examination of masculinity, identity, and disillusionment.

• A foundational text in American proletarian literature.

• Reflects the struggles of Irish-Catholic immigrants and their descendants.

• Written in stark, authentic prose capturing the dialect and mood of the time.

• Total of 465 pages filled with richly layered character development and cultural critique.

• Category: Literature – a major work of American fiction with enduring literary value.