Selected Short Stories Of William Dean Howells

Full texts of thirteen of Howells's short stories, each preceded by a thorough critical analysis.

William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author and literary critic. He wrote his first novel, Their Wedding Journey, in 1871, but his literary reputation really took off with the realist novel A Modern Instance, published in 1882, which describes the decay of a marriage. His 1885 novel The Rise of Silas Lapham is perhaps his best known, describing the rise and fall of an American entrepreneur in the paint business. His social views were also strongly reflected in the novels Annie Kilburn (1888) and A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890). While known primarily as a novelist, his short story "Editha" (1905) - included in the collection Between the Dark and the Daylight (1907) - appears in many anthologies of American literature. Howells also wrote plays, criticism, and essays about contemporary literary figures such as Ibsen, Zola, Verga, and, especially, Tolstoy, which helped establish their reputations in the United States. He also wrote critically in support of many American writers. It is perhaps in this role that he had his greatest influence.

This comprehensive collection of William Dean Howells' works includes his novels, essays, and short stories. Howells was an important literary figure in the late 19th century and a champion of realism in literature. This collection is a must-read for anyone interested in American literature and the literary movements of the late 19th century. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

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William Dean Howells and the Ends of Realism 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.

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.

William Dean Howells, the realist master known as "The Dean of American Letters", produced an enormous oeuvre of works that had a lasting influence on American literature. For the first time in publishing history, this comprehensive eBook presents Howells’ complete works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts appearing in digital print for the first time, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Howells’ life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * ALL 41 novels, with individual contents tables * Many rare novels available in no other collection * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the poetry and the short stories * Easily locate the poems or short stories you want to read * Includes Howells’ complete travel writing, with many rare texts appearing here for the first time in digital print * Many rare essays and non-fiction works * Features two autobiographies - discover Howells’ literary life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Novels THEIR WEDDING JOURNEY A CHANCE ACQUAINTANCE A FOREGONE CONCLUSION THE LADY OF THE AROOSTOOK THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY A FEARFUL RESPONSIBILITY DR. BREEN’S PRACTICE A MODERN INSTANCE A WOMAN’S REASON THE RISE OF SILAS LAPHAM INDIAN SUMMER THE MINISTER’S CHARGE ANNIE KILBURN APRIL HOPES A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES THE SHADOW OF A DREAM A BOY’S TOWN THE QUALITY OF MERCY AN IMPERATIVE DUTY THE WORLD OF CHANCE THE COAST OF BOHEMIA A TRAVELER FROM ALTRURIA THE DAY OF THEIR WEDDING THE LANDLORD AT LION’S HEAD THE STORY OF A PLAY RAGGED LADY THEIR SILVER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY THE FLIGHT OF PONY BAKER THE KENTONS QUESTIONABLE SHAPES LETTERS HOME LETTERS OF AN ALTRURIAN TRAVELLER SON OF ROYAL LANGBRITH MISS BELLARD’S INSPIRATION BETWEEN THE DARK AND THE DAYLIGHT THROUGH THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE THE WHOLE FAMILY FENNEL AND RUE NEW LEAF MILLS: A CHRONICLE THE LEATHERWOOD GOD THE VACATION OF THE KELWYNS The Shorter Fiction SUBURBAN SKETCHES CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY EDITHA STORIES OF OHIO SEEN AND UNSEEN AT STRATFORD-UPON-AVON LITERATURE AND LIFE: SHORT STORIES AND ESSAYS THE DAUGHTER OF THE STORAGE AND OTHER THINGS IN PROSE AND VERSE A PAIR OF PATIENT LOVERS AND OTHER STORIES BOY LIFE STORIES AND READINGS SELECTED FROM THE WORKS OF WILLIAM DEAN HOWELLS MISCELLANEOUS STORIES The Short Stories LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF SHORT STORIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Farces THE PARLOR CAR OUT OF THE QUESTION A COUNTERFEIT PRESENTMENT THE SLEEPING CAR THE MOUSE-TRAP AND OTHER FARCES MISCELLANEOUS FARCES The Poetry Collections POEMS STOPS OF VARIOUS QUILLS The Poems LIST OF POEMS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER LIST OF POEMS IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER The Travel Writing VENETIAN LIFE ITALIAN JOURNEYS THREE VILLAGES TUSCAN CITIES A LITTLE SWISS SOJOURN LONDON FILMS CERTAIN DELIGHTFUL ENGLISH TOWNS ROMAN HOLIDAYS AND OTHERS SEVEN ENGLISH CITIES FAMILIAR SPANISH TRAVELS The Non-Fiction LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN MODERN ITALIAN POETS IMPRESSIONS AND EXPERIENCES LITERARY FRIENDS AND ACQUAINTANCE LITERATURE AND LIFE MR. CHARLES W. CHESNUTT’S STORIES FRANK NORRIS A PSYCHOLOGICAL COUNTER-CURRENT IN RECENT FICTION IMAGINARY INTERVIEWS HEROINES OF FICTION ÉMILE ZOLA HENRY JAMES, JR. INTRODUCTIONS TO VARIOUS WORKS The Autobiographies MY YEAR IN A LOG CABIN YEARS OF MY YOUTH Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles