William Dean Howells: A Writer’s Life

by Susan Goodman, Carl Dawson

Possibly the most influential figure in the history of American letters, William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was, among other things, a leading novelist in the realist tradition, a formative influence on many of America's finest writers, and an outspoken opponent of social injustice. This biography, the first comprehensive work on Howells in fifty years, enters the consciousness of the man and his times, revealing a complicated and painfully honest figure who came of age in an era of political corruption, industrial greed, and American imperialism. Written with verve and originality in a highly absorbing style, it brings alive for a new generation a literary and cultural pioneer who played a key role in creating the American artistic ethos.

William Dean Howells traces the writer's life from his boyhood in Ohio before the Civil War, to his consularship in Italy under President Lincoln, to his rise as editor of Atlantic Monthly. It looks at his writing, which included novels, poems, plays, children's books, and criticism. Howells had many powerful friendships among the literati of his day; and here we find an especially rich examination of the relationship between Howells and Mark Twain. Howells was, as Twain called him, "the boss" of literary critics—his support almost single-handedly made the careers of many writers, including African Americans like Paul Dunbar and women like Sarah Orne Jewett. Showcasing many noteworthy personalities—Henry James, Edmund Gosse, H. G. Wells, Stephen Crane, Emily Dickinson, and many others—William Dean Howells portrays a man who stood at the center of American literature through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Genres: Biography

545 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Susan Goodman is the H. Fletcher Brown Chair of Humanities Professor of English at the University of Delaware.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: This book is authored by Susan E. Goodman and Carl Dawson (I have no idea why he is left off the Goodreads thumbnail).

An incredibly well-written biography about an incredible literary voice, and a genuinely kind man. HIs relationship with his wife, Elinor Mead Howells, is a joy to behold. I wish I could have met this man, and his wife. Imagine, you are born before the Civil War, write a campaign biography for Abraham Lincoln, and you leave this life, after World War I. It was hard to finish this book; I didn't want to say goodbye.

[Kate Koeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised I liked this book so much. I began this book because I am related to William Dean Howells by marriage and I thought I should know something about his life. I was amazed at all that he did. He read, critiqued, and knew personally all the writers of his age, he also championed unpopular views that look righteous now, he wrote many novels that aren't much read today but explored important topics, all while being a real friend to his compatriots and a loving family man. A book about a writer can be tedious, but this book is well-written and enjoyable to read.