Editing David Graham Phillips (section)

== Role of Naturalism and Realism ==
Phillips’s writing demonstrated a strong allegiance to the literary traditions of [[Literary realism|realism]] and [[Naturalism (literature)|naturalism]]. His portrayal of American society was unflinching, exposing the mechanisms of political corruption, business monopolization, and social inequality with vivid, often scathing detail.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Miraldi |first=Robert |date=1987-10-01 |title=Fictional Techniques in the Journalism of David Graham Phillips |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08821127.1987.10731114 |journal=American Journalism |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=181–190 |doi=10.1080/08821127.1987.10731114 |issn=0882-1127|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Like other naturalist writers of the period, Phillips emphasized the power of external forces — such as [[Social class|class structures]], [[Political system|political systems]], and economic conditions — in determining individual destiny. Characters in his novels were frequently portrayed as trapped by their environments, illustrating the limits of personal agency in a corrupt society.<ref name=":2" /> His work suggested that the [[American Dream]] of upward mobility and democratic equality was often an illusion sustained by those in power.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" />

Phillips’s blend of fact and dramatization created a new form of "[[New Journalism|reportage fiction]]," which brought the techniques of investigative journalism into novelistic prose.<ref name=":4" /> This hybrid style enhanced the emotional resonance and immediacy of his political critiques, helping to align his literary efforts with the broader [[Progressivism in the United States|Progressive reform movement]]. Far from being passive documentation, Phillips’s realism served as an instrument of [[social criticism]], intended to awaken the conscience of a national readership and advocate for systemic reform.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":3" />