''The Epic of the Wheat'' was a planned

trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

by American author

Frank Norris Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. (March 5, 1870 – October 25, 1902) was an American journalist and novelist during the Progressive Era, whose fiction was predominantly in the naturalist genre. His notable works include '' McTeague: A Story of San ...

. Two of the three works were published, but the third was not written at the time of Norris' death. Following his 1899 success ''

McTeague ''McTeague: A Story of San Francisco'', otherwise known as simply ''McTeague'', is a novel by Frank Norris, first published in 1899. It tells the story of a couple's courtship and marriage, and their subsequent descent into poverty and violence ...

'', Norris formulated his idea for a trilogy of novels on the topic of wheat, his ''Epic of the Wheat'', from its growth in California in '' The Octopus'', to its distribution via Chicago in his posthumously published 1903 work ''

The Pit The Pit may refer to: Places * The Pit, a commonly used name for a mosh pit * The Pit (arena), the main indoor arena at the University of New Mexico * The Pit (memorial), "Яма" the Holocaust memorial in Minsk, Belarus * Elder 'The Pit' Stadiu ...

'', to its consumption in a famished region of Europe in ''The Wolf''. He had not begun writing ''The Wolf'' before his death.

Works

''The Octopus: A Story of California''

''The Octopus'' depicts the conflict between wheat farmers in the

San Joaquin Valley The San Joaquin Valley ( ; es, Valle de San Joaquín) is the area of the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California that lies south of the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta and is drained by the San Joaquin River. It comprises seven c ...

and the fictional Pacific and Southwestern Railroad (P. & S. W.). The railroad attempts to take possession of the land the farmers have been improving for many years, forcing them to defend themselves. The wheat farmers are represented by Magnus Derrick, the reluctant leader of the ad hoc farmer's League designed to fight for retention of their land and low cost freight rates. S. Behrman serves as the local representative of P. & S. W. In his attempt at writing his great epic poem, Presley witnesses the disintegration of Annixter, Derrick, Hooven, and their families.Starr, Kevin. (1986). Introduction. ''The Octopus''. New York: Viking Penguin, Inc. 1986

''The Pit: A Story of Chicago''

The plot revolves around Laura Dearborn, a young woman being courted by three men: Curtis Jadwin, Sheldon Corthell, and Landry Court. She married Jadwin, who over time loses interest in her as he gets more involved in wheat

speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, good (economics), goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline i ...

at the

Chicago Board of Trade The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), established on April 3, 1848, is one of the world's oldest futures and options exchanges. On July 12, 2007, the CBOT merged with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) to form CME Group. CBOT and three other excha ...

. As his risky investments start to lead him to ruin, Laura reunites with Corthell, but she eventually rebuffs him. Jadwin's fortunes turn as he is able to

corner the market In finance, cornering the market consists of obtaining sufficient control of a particular stock, commodity, or other asset in an attempt to manipulate the market price. One definition of cornering a market is "having the greatest market share ...

and ruin even good friends, but in time his luck runs out, and he is ruined. He turns his attention back to his wife, and they leave Chicago, heading West to start fresh.

''The Wolf: A Story of Europe''

Norris planned for the conclusion to revolve around the consumption of wheat in a part of Europe experiencing a famine. Though he had decided on the title and some general ideas, he did not begin work in earnest before he died unexpectedly in October, 1902 from

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part or ...

, leaving his proposed third book of the trilogy, ''The Wolf: A Story of Europe'', unwritten.

Works

''The Octopus: A Story of California''

''The Pit: A Story of Chicago''

''The Wolf: A Story of Europe''

References

Further reading