William Dean Howells

Franklin Library William Dean Howells books

The Rise of Silas Lapham - 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature - 1983

William Dean Howells biography

Once upon a time, in the literary landscape of the 19th century, there was a figure who wove words into tapestries of realism and captured the essence of American life with finesse. This luminary was none other than William Dean Howells, a literary giant who left an indelible mark on the tapestry of American letters. Born on March 1, 1837, in Martin's Ferry, Ohio, Howells grew up against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America. His early years were modest, but his insatiable curiosity and love for literature paved the way for a remarkable literary career. As a young man, he worked in journalism, acquainting himself with the nuances of the written word. It wasn't long before he found himself in the heart of the literary world, associating with luminaries such as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Mark Twain.

Howells' writing, often characterized by its keen observation and commitment to portraying everyday life, marked a departure from the prevailing romanticism of his time. His commitment to realism shone through in works like A Modern Instance and The Rise of Silas Lapham, where he peeled back the layers of society to reveal its complexities and contradictions.

The pages of Howells' novels were not just narratives; they were windows into the soul of a nation grappling with industrialization, social change, and the complexities of a burgeoning middle class. He became the editor of the prestigious Atlantic Monthly, where he used his platform to champion the works of budding writers like Henry James, Stephen Crane, and Mark Twain.

Howells' influence extended beyond his pen and editorial desk. He ardently believed in the power of literature to effect social change and championed the realist movement. His friendship with Mark Twain, in particular, was emblematic of a literary camaraderie that sought to redefine American literature. As time unfolded, Howells' role as a literary critic became as significant as his role as a novelist. His critical essays, collected in works like "Criticism and Fiction," showcased not only his deep understanding of literature but also his commitment to fostering a distinct American literary identity.

As the years passed, Howells' literary star continued to ascend. His diplomatic career, including a stint as the U.S. consul in Venice, added yet another layer to his multifaceted persona. His later works, such as "A Hazard of New Fortunes," continued to delve into the intricacies of American society, cementing his legacy as a chronicler of his times.

And so, the narrative of William Dean Howells unfolds—a tale of a man who, through the power of his words, shaped the literary landscape of a nation in flux. His commitment to realism, his nurturing of emerging talents, and his belief in the transformative power of literature make him not just a literary figure of the past but a beacon whose light continues to illuminate the corridors of American letters.

The Rise of Silas Lapham

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.

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 the efficacy of self-help and determination, the ambiguous benefits of social and economic progress, and the continual contradiction between urban and pastoral values.

The Rise of Silas Lapham, first published in book form in 1885, was the first important novel to center on the American businessman and the first to treat its theme with a realism that was to foreshadow the work of modern writers. In his story of Silas Lapham, one of the millionaires who flourished with the expanding industrialization of the post-Civil War years William Dean Howells probed the moral and social conflicts that confronted a self-made man who attempted to enter Boston’s old-guard, aristocratic society. Silas Lapham is a man of conscience who fully realizes his folly. But he is also an ambitious man who knowingly lets his aspirations lead him to hazard both his fortune and his family’s happiness for status in a society that can never accept him. “His perceptions were sure, his integrity was absolute,” wrote Henry Seidel Canby of William Dean Howells, whom he credited as being “responsible for giving the American novel form.”

Howells is known to be the father of American realism, and a denouncer of the sentimental novel. The resolution of the love triangle of Irene Lapham, Tom Corey, and Penelope Lapham highlights Howells' rejection of the conventions of sentimental romantic novels as unrealistic and deceitful.