Knowra William Dean Howells William Dean Howells William Dean Howells was an American novelist, literary critic, and editor whose fiction and advocacy helped establish literary realism in the United States.
Literary realism : A literary mode that depicts ordinary life, social conditions, and recognizable behavior with close attention to detail. Howells championed this mode as an alternative to romanticized fiction.
The Rise of Silas Lapham : Howells's 1885 novel about a self-made paint manufacturer negotiating wealth, status, and moral choice. It exemplifies his interest in contemporary business life and ethical conflict.
James Russell Lowell : An American poet, essayist, diplomat, and editor who helped lead nineteenth-century literary culture. Lowell brought Howells into the editorial world of The Atlantic Monthly.
American literary realism : A United States literary movement depicting contemporary people and social conditions without romantic idealization. Howells became its leading public advocate during the late nineteenth century.
Nathaniel Hawthorne : An American novelist and short-story writer known for allegory, moral ambiguity, and historical settings. Hawthorne's symbolic and historical fiction differs from Howells's preference for contemporary social life.
American literature : Literature written in the United States and its colonial predecessors, encompassing many traditions, genres, and periods. Howells helped define a national literary culture after the Civil War.
A Hazard of New Fortunes : Howells's 1890 novel portraying New York society, labor unrest, journalism, and class divisions. Its crowded social world makes realism a means of examining economic conflict.
Mark Twain : The pen name of Samuel Clemens, an American novelist, humorist, and social critic. Howells became Twain's close friend and a prominent advocate of his writing.
Naturalism : A literary movement that portrays people as shaped by heredity, environment, and material forces. Howells's support for works by Crane helped open space for harsher realist forms.
Edgar Allan Poe : An American poet, critic, and fiction writer known for Gothic tales and works of psychological suspense. Poe's emphasis on sensation and carefully wrought effect opposed Howells's realist priorities.
Show all 28