The achievement of William Dean Howells : a reinterpretation / Kermit Vanderbilt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Vanderbilt, Kermit, author.

Series:

Princeton legacy library.

Princeton Legacy Library

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Howells, William Dean, 1837-1920--Criticism and interpretation.

Howells, William Dean.

Didactic fiction, American--History and criticism.

Didactic fiction, American.

Realism in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (239 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, 1968.

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Exploring the consciousness and creative impulse of William Dean Howells, Professor Vanderbilt finds that Howells' personality reflected the mixed feelings of the American mind in an ambivalent and transitional society. By this interpretation he introduces a new and imaginative approach to the writer and his work, and Howells emerges as one of the major American literary figures of the late nineteenth century. The author's impressive research into all of Howells' works is evident in his discussion of four novels which appeared in the 1880's, The Undiscovered Country, A Modern lnstance, The Rise of Silas Lapham, and A Hazard of New Fortunes. Originally published in 1968.The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Contents:

Front matter

Preface

Introduction: Premises and Method

One. The Undiscovered Country (1880). Howells' Version of American Pastoral

Two. A Modern Instance (1881-1882). Freedom and Fate in Modern America

Three. The Rise of Silas Lapham (1884-1885). The Crisis of Wealth in the Gilded Age

Four. A Hazard of New Fortunes (1889-1890). Art and Humanity in the American Metropolis

Summary and Aftermath

Bibliographical Comment

Index

Notes:

Includes index.

"Bibliographical comment": p. 207-213.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-691-64904-9

1-4008-7661-3

OCLC:

967539117