William Dean Howells

Mr. Howells's philosophy in these Easy Chair essays is distinctly of the inclusive order, and the wide range of subjects treated is indicated by the following titles from the thirty-odd that make up the volume: « The Practices and Precepts of Vaudeville,» «The Superiority of Inferiors,» « Unimportance of Women in Republics,» «The Quality of Boston and the Quantity of New York.» Surely Mr. Howells has taken the earth for his possession; but has he not gone up and down in it for seventy-odd...

Mr. Howells's philosophy in these Easy Chair essays is distinctly of the inclusive order, and the wide range of subjects treated is indicated by the following titles from the thirty-odd that make up the volume: « The Practices and Precepts of Vaudeville,» «The Superiority of Inferiors,» « Unimportance of Women in Republics,» «The Quality of Boston and the Quantity of New York.» Surely Mr. Howells has taken the earth for his possession; but has he not gone up and down in it for seventy-odd...

A young New York novelist receives a letter from a girl asking for the solution of a serial story he is writing, for she is so ill that she does not believe she will live to finish it. His publishers answer the letter in good faith only to find out that it was all a girlish prank. The vanity wounded author writes her a scathing letter. Later at a Long Island house-party he meets her, as she is the hostess's paid assistant to entertain the guests. The unspoken love story that ensues ends...

A young New York novelist receives a letter from a girl asking for the solution of a serial story he is writing, for she is so ill that she does not believe she will live to finish it. His publishers answer the letter in good faith only to find out that it was all a girlish prank. The vanity wounded author writes her a scathing letter. Later at a Long Island house-party he meets her, as she is the hostess's paid assistant to entertain the guests. The unspoken love story that ensues ends...

In 'Criticism and Fiction' Mr. Howells gives his ideas of the proper functions of critics, and the lines along which he may be supposed to have written his novels . He considers criticism an entirely contemplative branch of literature; finding in it, seemingly, no creative potentialities . The critic, he thinks, should first consider what the author has tried to do, then examine how he has done it . As to whether or not the thing was worth doing that concerns the author, not the...

In 'Criticism and Fiction' Mr. Howells gives his ideas of the proper functions of critics, and the lines along which he may be supposed to have written his novels . He considers criticism an entirely contemplative branch of literature; finding in it, seemingly, no creative potentialities . The critic, he thinks, should first consider what the author has tried to do, then examine how he has done it . As to whether or not the thing was worth doing that concerns the author, not the...

Mr. Howells dips into psychological twilight in this volume of short stories. They are queer and creepy without being exactly supernatural. In «Editha» there is a war story of a new kind, although its heroine is the same old, inconsequent and exasperating girl that Mr. Howells has drawn for so many years, he could probably do it with his eyes shut by this time. «It all interested her intensely; she was undergoing a tremendous experience and she was being equal to it!» And so with the egotistic...

Mr. Howells dips into psychological twilight in this volume of short stories. They are queer and creepy without being exactly supernatural. In «Editha» there is a war story of a new kind, although its heroine is the same old, inconsequent and exasperating girl that Mr. Howells has drawn for so many years, he could probably do it with his eyes shut by this time. «It all interested her intensely; she was undergoing a tremendous experience and she was being equal to it!» And so with the egotistic...

The story follows a few people from New York who find them-selves spending a hot summer in this small town. In this book William Dean Howells is giving us an interesting account of the town and the people of Saratoga. William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. Howells is known to be the father of American realism, and a denouncer of the sentimental novel. He was the first American author to bring a realist aesthetic to the literature of...

The story follows a few people from New York who find them-selves spending a hot summer in this small town. In this book William Dean Howells is giving us an interesting account of the town and the people of Saratoga. William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. Howells is known to be the father of American realism, and a denouncer of the sentimental novel. He was the first American author to bring a realist aesthetic to the literature of...

This eBook edition of «A Pair of Patient Lovers» has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Excerpt: "I have often had to criticize life for a certain caprice with which she treats the elements of drama, and mars the finest conditions of tragedy with a touch of farce. No one who witnessed the marriage of Arthur Glendenning and Edith Bentley had any belief that she would survive it twenty-four hours; they themselves were wholly...

This eBook edition of «A Pair of Patient Lovers» has been formatted to the highest digital standards and adjusted for readability on all devices. Excerpt: "I have often had to criticize life for a certain caprice with which she treats the elements of drama, and mars the finest conditions of tragedy with a touch of farce. No one who witnessed the marriage of Arthur Glendenning and Edith Bentley had any belief that she would survive it twenty-four hours; they themselves were wholly...

A Modern Instance is regarded as one of the most pivotal works in the career of William Dean Howells; it solidified his reputation as a champion of realism in the United States. The novel is about the deterioration of a once loving marriage under the influence of capitalistic greed. It is the first American novel by a canonical author to seriously consider divorce as a realistic outcome of marriage. The story chronicles the rise and fall of the romance between Bartley Hubbard and Marcia Gaylord,...

A Modern Instance is regarded as one of the most pivotal works in the career of William Dean Howells; it solidified his reputation as a champion of realism in the United States. The novel is about the deterioration of a once loving marriage under the influence of capitalistic greed. It is the first American novel by a canonical author to seriously consider divorce as a realistic outcome of marriage. The story chronicles the rise and fall of the romance between Bartley Hubbard and Marcia Gaylord,...

'A Little Swiss Sojourn' was passed in the village of Villeneuve in the canton of Vaud, where a comfortable pension, vineyards galore, a gothic chapel, the placid lake, the snow-covered Alps, an occasional château (to let, furnished, for $500 a year) lent charm, dignity and ample opportunity for reminiscence to the visit of three months of which this narrative records the impressions. It is a pretty picture of an alien civilization, having certain quaint analogies with our own...

'A Little Swiss Sojourn' was passed in the village of Villeneuve in the canton of Vaud, where a comfortable pension, vineyards galore, a gothic chapel, the placid lake, the snow-covered Alps, an occasional château (to let, furnished, for $500 a year) lent charm, dignity and ample opportunity for reminiscence to the visit of three months of which this narrative records the impressions. It is a pretty picture of an alien civilization, having certain quaint analogies with our own...

The book, which takes place in late 19th century New York City, tells the story of Basil March, who finds himself in the middle of a dispute between his employer, a self-made millionaire named Dryfoos, and his old German teacher, an advocate for workers' rights named Lindau. The main character of the novel, Basil March, provides the main perspective throughout the novel. He resides in Boston with his wife and children until he is persuaded by his idealistic friend Fulkerson to move to New...

The book, which takes place in late 19th century New York City, tells the story of Basil March, who finds himself in the middle of a dispute between his employer, a self-made millionaire named Dryfoos, and his old German teacher, an advocate for workers' rights named Lindau. The main character of the novel, Basil March, provides the main perspective throughout the novel. He resides in Boston with his wife and children until he is persuaded by his idealistic friend Fulkerson to move to New...

The book, which takes place in late 19th century New York City, tells the story of Basil March, who finds himself in the middle of a dispute between his employer, a self-made millionaire named Dryfoos, and his old German teacher, an advocate for workers' rights named Lindau. The main character of the novel, Basil March, provides the main perspective throughout the novel. He resides in Boston with his wife and children until he is persuaded by his idealistic friend Fulkerson to move to New...

Mr. Howells' refined humor is one of his most charming characteristics. It creeps out, however, on the most solemn occasions, and many a situation that might have been pathetic or commonplace is given a piquant turn by some deft touch of mellow satire which pleases and never wounds. This delicate, subdued humor, appealing to the finer sensibilities of the reader, is purely American. It is allied to the French in subtlety, but it has none of the Gallic dash and effervescence. It is a Puritan...

Mr. Howells' refined humor is one of his most charming characteristics. It creeps out, however, on the most solemn occasions, and many a situation that might have been pathetic or commonplace is given a piquant turn by some deft touch of mellow satire which pleases and never wounds. This delicate, subdued humor, appealing to the finer sensibilities of the reader, is purely American. It is allied to the French in subtlety, but it has none of the Gallic dash and effervescence. It is a Puritan...