Download or read book William Dean Howells written by Susan Goodman and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2005-05-01 with total page 580 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Possibly the most influential figure in the history of American letters, William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was, among other things, a leading novelist in the realist tradition, a formative influence on many of America's finest writers, and an outspoken opponent of social injustice. This biography, the first comprehensive work on Howells in fifty years, enters the consciousness of the man and his times, revealing a complicated and painfully honest figure who came of age in an era of political corruption, industrial greed, and American imperialism. Written with verve and originality in a highly absorbing style, it brings alive for a new generation a literary and cultural pioneer who played a key role in creating the American artistic ethos. William Dean Howells traces the writer's life from his boyhood in Ohio before the Civil War, to his consularship in Italy under President Lincoln, to his rise as editor of Atlantic Monthly. It looks at his writing, which included novels, poems, plays, children's books, and criticism. Howells had many powerful friendships among the literati of his day; and here we find an especially rich examination of the relationship between Howells and Mark Twain. Howells was, as Twain called him, "the boss" of literary critics—his support almost single-handedly made the careers of many writers, including African Americans like Paul Dunbar and women like Sarah Orne Jewett. Showcasing many noteworthy personalities—Henry James, Edmund Gosse, H. G. Wells, Stephen Crane, Emily Dickinson, and many others—William Dean Howells portrays a man who stood at the center of American literature through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Download or read book My Mark Twain written by William Dean Howells and published by . This book was released on 1910 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reminiscences of Howells' friendship with Mark Twain, followed by criticism of about a dozen of his major works (chiefly book reviews previously published in various periodicals).

Download or read book A Hazard Of New Fortunes written by William Dean Howells and published by Jazzybee Verlag. This book was released on 2020 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No one can complain that in this story Mr. Howells has taken his type from the commonplace. It is a study of life in New York, and the author has brought together such a gallery of odd and strongly differentiated characters as could perhaps be found in no other city on the continent, while the conditions and phases of social life represented are not less distinctive and peculiar. The Marches, it is true, are from Boston, but they serve the purpose of external points of observation, whence to note and sufficiently to emphasize those features of our city life which of necessity strike strangers and outsiders most forcibly and with the greatest freshness of suggestion. A new magazine is founded with the money of old Dryfoos, a "natural gas millionaire," whose primary object is to give his son Conrad — a youth of saint-like character and dominant altruism — opportunity to become a businessman. The prime mover of the venture is Fulkerson, a true Western Yankee, if the phrase be allowable, whose engaging impudence, fluent slang, indomitable assurance, and substantial loyalty and goodness of heart are sure to make him as great a favorite with the reader as he is with all who know him in the story. The Marches, too, are fantastic, and nowhere has Mr. Howells better presented that peculiar American humor which finds motives for half-sarcastic jest and quip in even the most serious things, less out of lightness of heart than from an almost desperate conscious ness of hopeless incongruities and perplexities inherent in the general scheme. The picture is in itself a condemnation of and protest against that rank growth of naked materialism which is the most depressing feature of our time. The character and the faults of society are shown plainly but temperately — the spirit of levity, the love of spectacle, the repugnance to serious thinking, the absence of jealousy of popular rights, constantly encroached upon, ignored and subordinated to selfish corporate or individual interests. The aspects of the city are also most graphically and admirably described in many a wandering of the Marches, and the book exhibits an amount of local study undertaken by the author which speaks well for his conscientiousness, and adds much to the charm and permanent interest of the story. There is, as we have intimated, an unwonted variety and an unwonted force in " A Hazard of New Fortunes." If it can hardly be said to have a dominant note, it is none the less a faithful and carefully elaborated study of New York life, and it presents some of the most salient characteristics of that life in a very impressive and artistic manner. Most readers will, we think, agree with us that the change in method here shown is a change for the better. Never, certainly, has Mr. Howells written more brilliantly, more clearly, more firmly, or more attractively, than in this instance. The reversion to these strong individualizations seems to have put new vigor into his hands, and he deals with the deeper tragedies, the graver emotions of life, with a power which may perhaps be regarded as a practical demonstration of the ultimate supremacy destined to be attained by Nature over Art ; by the true over the false Realism.

Download or read book Indian Summer written by William Dean Howells and published by . This book was released on 1887 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Criticism and Fiction written by William Dean Howells and published by . This book was released on 1891 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Life and Letters of William Dean Howells written by William Dean Howells and published by . This book was released on 1986-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book William Dean Howells and the Ends of Realism written by Paul Abeln and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-02-18 with total page 182 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite efforts at revival by John Updike and others, William Dean Howells still remains in the shadows of his close friends Mark Twain and Henry James. This book works against decades of unfavorable comparisons with these literary giants. William Dean Howells and the Ends ofRealism helps us to see him as a writer very much aware of his limitations and of his enormous importance in the development of an American literary tradition. A close look at his late works gives us a richer understanding of this powerful moment of transition in American literature, a moment when Howells and his venerable friends were inspiring and anointing a new generation of writers and taking a long, hard look at their own legacies and contributions.

Download or read book The Complete Works of William Dean Howells written by William Dean Howells and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2024-01-10 with total page 10574 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Complete Works of William Dean Howells is a comprehensive collection of writings by the prominent American author known for his realistic portrayals of American life in the late 19th century. Howells, a leading figure in the literary realism movement, expertly depicts the complexities of society and human relationships in his novels, short stories, and essays. His works are characterized by keen observations, detailed character studies, and subtle social commentary that reflect the changing cultural landscape of his time. Howells' writing style is marked by its precision, understated humor, and nuanced exploration of ethical dilemmas. The collection showcases the breadth and depth of his literary output, from his early realist novels to his later satirical works. Readers will appreciate Howells' ability to capture the essence of American society in a time of transition. William Dean Howells drew inspiration from his personal experiences as an editor, critic, and social commentator to craft his incisive literary works. His commitment to depicting the social realities of his era set him apart as a writer ahead of his time. The Complete Works of William Dean Howells is a must-read for those interested in American literary history, realism, and the human experience.

Download or read book The Rise of Silas Lapham written by William Dean Howells and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1983-04-28 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: William Dean Howells' richly humorous characterization of a self-made millionaire in Boston society provides a paradigm of American culture in the Gilded Age. After establishing a fortune in the paint business, Silas Lapham moves his family from their Vermont farm to the city of Boston, where they awkwardly attempt to break into Brahmin society. Silas, greedy for wealth as well as prestige, brings his company to the brink of bankruptcy, and the family is forced to return to Vermont, financially ruined but morally renewed. As Kermit Vanderbilt points out in his introduction, the novel focuses on important themes in the American literary tradition: the efficacy of self-help and determination, the ambiguous benefits of social and economic progress, and the continual contradiction between urban and pastoral values. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Download or read book Editor s Study written by William Dean Howells and published by Troy, N.Y. : Whitston Publishing Company. This book was released on 1983 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The present edition contains a comprehensive index with cross-references and a thorough introduction revealing the details concerning the column, the corresponding period in Howells' life, and the literary milieu of these critical years in American literature. "The Editor's Study" collection offers a unique reference work to scholars interested in this important period of transition in American literature, as well as to those interested in Howells as one of America's first exponents of comparative literature.

Download or read book Venetian Life written by William Dean Howells and published by London, N. Trübner & Company. This book was released on 1866 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Editha written by William Dean Howells and published by Creative Education. This book was released on 1993-09 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A girl with a romantic concept of war has her beliefs challenged when her fiance goes off to fight.

Download or read book The Man of Letters as a Man of Business written by William Dean Howells and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2023-08-26 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reproduction of the original. The publishing house Megali specialises in reproducing historical works in large print to make reading easier for people with impaired vision.

Download or read book A Chance Acquaintance written by William Dean Howells and published by Boston : J.R. Osgood. This book was released on 1874 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A story about a highly cultivated gentleman from Boston who attaches himself to a party of tourists and temporarily wins the heart of a young girl.

Download or read book Venetian Life written by William Dean Howells and published by . This book was released on 1885 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Republic for which it Stands written by Richard White and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 964 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The newest volume in the Oxford History of the United States series, The Republic for Which It Stands argues that the Gilded Age, along with Reconstruction--its conflicts, rapid and disorienting change, hopes and fears--formed the template of American modernity.

Download or read book The Complete Works of William Dean Howells Illustrated written by William Dean Howells and published by Good Press. This book was released on 2023-12-07 with total page 10575 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Complete Works of William Dean Howells (Illustrated) offers a comprehensive collection of the works of William Dean Howells, a prominent American realist author. Known for his depiction of ordinary American life, Howells' writing style is characterized by its detailed realism and insightful social commentary. This collection includes a variety of genres such as novels, short stories, plays, and essays, showcasing Howells' versatility as a writer. Readers can expect to be immersed in vivid narratives that capture the essence of 19th-century America. William Dean Howells, a close friend of Mark Twain and a leading figure in the realist literary movement, drew inspiration for his works from his experiences as a journalist and editor. His commitment to portraying the everyday struggles and joys of common people sets him apart as a notable voice in American literature. This collection is highly recommended for readers interested in exploring the complexities of American society and culture through the lens of a skilled observer. The Complete Works of William Dean Howells provides a unique perspective on the realities of American life during the late 19th century and continues to resonate with readers today.