Description
A charismatic drifter with a talent for performance, Elmer Gantry rises through the fervor of American revival culture—turning piety into spectacle and conviction into a ladder for attention. As he pursues admiration, influence, and a future built on applause, his “conversion” becomes a public act of contrition staged for maximum impact, exposing the uneasy blend of faith, ambition, and showmanship. Sinclair Lewis’s sharp, satirical style—shaped by his research on real preachers and dedicated in admiration to H. L. Mencken—skewers the institutions and personalities that profit from belief while asking what sincerity means when belief is treated like theater. With themes of hypocrisy, mass persuasion, and the commodification of morality, this landmark 1927 novel remains a bracing, often uncomfortable mirror of American religious life.
Available Editions
paperback
Independently Published
Published Jan 1, 2021
ISBN: 9798519263849
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Details
First Published
1927
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis.