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A Chance Acquaintance
A Chance Acquaintance is a realist novel that tells a story of a small-town girl Kitty Ellison, who goes on vacation with her family on a tour around north states and Quebec. During the holiday Miss Kitty meets Mr. Arbuton from Boston, narrow-minded uptight gentleman, often mistaken for an Englishman because of his manners. Their introduction happens under strange circumstances and Kitty finds herself pushed more and more into his direction, which leads to many unpredictable situations.
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First published January 1, 1874
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About the author
William Dean Howells
1,193 books101 followersWillam Dean Howells (1837-1920) was a novelist, short story writer, magazine editor, and mentor who wrote for various magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and Harper's Magazine.
In January 1866 James Fields offered him the assistant editor role at the Atlantic Monthly. Howells accepted after successfully negotiating for a higher salary, but was frustrated by Fields's close supervision. Howells was made editor in 1871, remaining in the position until 1881.
In 1869 he first met Mark Twain, which began a longtime friendship. Even more important for the development of his literary style — his advocacy of Realism — was his relationship with the journalist Jonathan Baxter Harrison, who during the 1870s wrote a series of articles for the Atlantic Monthly on the lives of ordinary Americans.
He wrote his first novel, Their Wedding Journey, in 1872, but his literary reputation took off with the realist novel A Modern Instance, published in 1882, which described 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 of the paint business. His social views were also strongly represented in the novels Annie Kilburn (1888), A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890), and An Imperative Duty (1892). He was particularly outraged by the trials resulting from the Haymarket Riot.
His poems were collected during 1873 and 1886, and a volume under the title Stops of Various Quills was published during 1895. He was the initiator of the school of American realists who derived, through the Russians, from Balzac and had little sympathy with any other type of fiction, although he frequently encouraged new writers in whom he discovered new ideas.
Howells also wrote plays, criticism, and essays about contemporary literary figures such as Henrik Ibsen, Émile Zola, Giovanni Verga, Benito Pérez Galdós, and, especially, Leo Tolstoy, which helped establish their reputations in the United States. He also wrote critically in support of American writers Hamlin Garland, Stephen Crane, Emily Dickinson, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Sarah Orne Jewett, Charles W. Chesnutt, Abraham Cahan, Madison Cawein,and Frank Norris. It is perhaps in this role that he had his greatest influence. In his "Editor's Study" column at the Atlantic Monthly and, later, at Harper's, he formulated and disseminated his theories of "realism" in literature.
In 1904 he was one of the first seven people chosen for membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he became president.
Howells died in Manhattan on May 11, 1920. He was buried in Cambridge Cemetery in Massachusetts.
Noting the "documentary" and truthful value of Howells' work, Henry James wrote: "Stroke by stroke and book by book your work was to become, for this exquisite notation of our whole democratic light and shade and give and take, in the highest degree documentary."
In January 1866 James Fields offered him the assistant editor role at the Atlantic Monthly. Howells accepted after successfully negotiating for a higher salary, but was frustrated by Fields's close supervision. Howells was made editor in 1871, remaining in the position until 1881.
In 1869 he first met Mark Twain, which began a longtime friendship. Even more important for the development of his literary style — his advocacy of Realism — was his relationship with the journalist Jonathan Baxter Harrison, who during the 1870s wrote a series of articles for the Atlantic Monthly on the lives of ordinary Americans.
He wrote his first novel, Their Wedding Journey, in 1872, but his literary reputation took off with the realist novel A Modern Instance, published in 1882, which described 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 of the paint business. His social views were also strongly represented in the novels Annie Kilburn (1888), A Hazard of New Fortunes (1890), and An Imperative Duty (1892). He was particularly outraged by the trials resulting from the Haymarket Riot.
His poems were collected during 1873 and 1886, and a volume under the title Stops of Various Quills was published during 1895. He was the initiator of the school of American realists who derived, through the Russians, from Balzac and had little sympathy with any other type of fiction, although he frequently encouraged new writers in whom he discovered new ideas.
Howells also wrote plays, criticism, and essays about contemporary literary figures such as Henrik Ibsen, Émile Zola, Giovanni Verga, Benito Pérez Galdós, and, especially, Leo Tolstoy, which helped establish their reputations in the United States. He also wrote critically in support of American writers Hamlin Garland, Stephen Crane, Emily Dickinson, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Sarah Orne Jewett, Charles W. Chesnutt, Abraham Cahan, Madison Cawein,and Frank Norris. It is perhaps in this role that he had his greatest influence. In his "Editor's Study" column at the Atlantic Monthly and, later, at Harper's, he formulated and disseminated his theories of "realism" in literature.
In 1904 he was one of the first seven people chosen for membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, of which he became president.
Howells died in Manhattan on May 11, 1920. He was buried in Cambridge Cemetery in Massachusetts.
Noting the "documentary" and truthful value of Howells' work, Henry James wrote: "Stroke by stroke and book by book your work was to become, for this exquisite notation of our whole democratic light and shade and give and take, in the highest degree documentary."
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 13, 2011
Though not as "complete" or involved as Howell's more famous "The Rise of Silas Lapham," it's as solid in portrayal of character, though far thinner in plot. A short novel, it would probably be trimmed down to a novelette in today's world, for it's the simple story of a small-town upper NY state girl on holiday in Quebec with her aunt and uncle. She meets a fairly narrow-minded Boston gentleman under slightly odd circumstances and finds herself slowly pulled into his orbit, leading to an attachment both predictable and unpredictable. I never could like the guy, though. He needed to good toe up the rump.
August 26, 2022
Une forme de roman international situé exclusivement aux États-Unis. Par rapport à Henry James, Howells a un côté plus réaliste: il s'agit ici de Kitty, jeune orpheline, que rencontre par hasard un homme de haut rang de Boston passé par l'Europe, personnage qui rappelle un peu Gilbert Osmond dans Portrait de femme, sachant que contrairement à Isabel Archer, Kitty ne voit pas une fortune lui tomber du ciel entre les mains. Quant à Howells, il aborde ici la question de la fortune et du rang et adopte une position nuancée: loin d'être négligeables, ils sont cependant loin d'être déterminants, même s'ils ne sont pas loin de l'être pour une jeune fille. Car la seconde question est celle de la condition féminine au dix-neuvième siècle et ce roman est quelque peu révolutionnaire en la matière: là où le sort avait permis à Isabel Archer de ne pas être obligée d'envisager le mariage, ici le sort force quasiment Kitty à l'envisager. Et alors qu'Isabel se marie, Kitty finalement ne se marie pas.
January 26, 2021
Howells' description of the landscape and history of Quebec were the best part of this minor novel.
His romance had little going for it. Remember in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth Bennett says of love affairs: "If it is only a vague inclination I'm convinced one poor sonnet would kill it dead." Exactly what happens here, with an artless young girl and a starched saddo from Boston who can't get beyond his social trammels.
His romance had little going for it. Remember in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth Bennett says of love affairs: "If it is only a vague inclination I'm convinced one poor sonnet would kill it dead." Exactly what happens here, with an artless young girl and a starched saddo from Boston who can't get beyond his social trammels.
October 23, 2025
"Decanul" a imbogatit literatura universala cu o serie de romane realiste si o multime de jurnale si schite de calatorie.
"A chance acquaintance" este un hibrid - partial roman, partial schita de calatorie. El infatiseaza povestea unei tinere fete, Kitty Ellison. Ea porneste la drum cu vaporul de-a lungul fluviului Saugenay. Itinerariul pornise de la Niagara pana la Montreal si Quebec urmand sa se intoarca acasa prin Boston si New York. Observam ca acest drum l-au parcurs si tinerii casatoriti din "Calatorie de nunta". Si asta nu este tot, caci de Kitty ne aducem aminte ca fiind o tovarasa agreabila a doamnei March din acelasi roman. Iata asadar ca Howells alege sa continue povestea lui Kitty. Si ce mod ingenios - un personaj secundar, episodic chiar, este transformat aici intr-unul principal.
Intorcandu-ne la Kitty si a sa calatorie trebuie sa mentionam ca aceasta intalneste un barbat, pe Miles Arbuton, de care se indragosteste. Din pacate stim din scrisorile pe care doamna March le-a primit de la Kitty ca aceasta iubire nu este sortita fericirii. Asadar, din cauza acestui mic spoiler cu scrisorile, eu as recomanda ca aceasta carte sa fie citita prima si mai apoi "Their wedding journey".
Cei doi tineri, Miles si Kitty sunt foarte diferiti dar presupun ca asta ii atrage unul spre celalalt. El este caustic, rece, rezervat, are standarde inalte. Simtul sau sofisticat si superioritatea sa ii plac lui Kitty. Insa daca isi da silinta poate sa se faca agreabil.
Kitty, pe de alta parte este feminina, inocenta, naiva, usor ranita in sentimente insa curajoasa. Ea nu fuge de sentimente, accepta durerea si suferinta care vin cu ele.
Toata cartea am avut impresia ca cei doi nu au nimic in comun, ca ea a fost fascinata de persoana lui ca de un idol si el s-a complacut, a fost flatat. Asta nu tine insa loc de dragoste. Am tot vorbit despre acest 'amour fou' insa exista o secventa deosebit de dura si cruda ce transforma romanul intr-unul foarte serios: desi se logodesc, el fiind mult mai instarit iar ea neavand mai nimic apare o fractura care ii desparte. Aceasta se adanceste in momentul in care el intalneste niste cunostinte din cercul sau monden si ii este rusine pur si simplu cu ea si saracia ei. Umilinta pe care Kitty o traieste este greu de descris pentru ca el se preface ca nu o cunoaste. Ea va ajunge sa invinga iubirea oarba cu ajutorul ratiunii. Iar in final el ramane doar o "cunostinta intamplatoare".
Imi place ca Howells mereu analizeaza firi atat de complexe, atat de diferite si desigur mai este si calatoria care e ca o muzica distinsa ce insoteste aceasta splendida poveste de dragoste.
"A chance acquaintance" este un hibrid - partial roman, partial schita de calatorie. El infatiseaza povestea unei tinere fete, Kitty Ellison. Ea porneste la drum cu vaporul de-a lungul fluviului Saugenay. Itinerariul pornise de la Niagara pana la Montreal si Quebec urmand sa se intoarca acasa prin Boston si New York. Observam ca acest drum l-au parcurs si tinerii casatoriti din "Calatorie de nunta". Si asta nu este tot, caci de Kitty ne aducem aminte ca fiind o tovarasa agreabila a doamnei March din acelasi roman. Iata asadar ca Howells alege sa continue povestea lui Kitty. Si ce mod ingenios - un personaj secundar, episodic chiar, este transformat aici intr-unul principal.
Intorcandu-ne la Kitty si a sa calatorie trebuie sa mentionam ca aceasta intalneste un barbat, pe Miles Arbuton, de care se indragosteste. Din pacate stim din scrisorile pe care doamna March le-a primit de la Kitty ca aceasta iubire nu este sortita fericirii. Asadar, din cauza acestui mic spoiler cu scrisorile, eu as recomanda ca aceasta carte sa fie citita prima si mai apoi "Their wedding journey".
Cei doi tineri, Miles si Kitty sunt foarte diferiti dar presupun ca asta ii atrage unul spre celalalt. El este caustic, rece, rezervat, are standarde inalte. Simtul sau sofisticat si superioritatea sa ii plac lui Kitty. Insa daca isi da silinta poate sa se faca agreabil.
Kitty, pe de alta parte este feminina, inocenta, naiva, usor ranita in sentimente insa curajoasa. Ea nu fuge de sentimente, accepta durerea si suferinta care vin cu ele.
Toata cartea am avut impresia ca cei doi nu au nimic in comun, ca ea a fost fascinata de persoana lui ca de un idol si el s-a complacut, a fost flatat. Asta nu tine insa loc de dragoste. Am tot vorbit despre acest 'amour fou' insa exista o secventa deosebit de dura si cruda ce transforma romanul intr-unul foarte serios: desi se logodesc, el fiind mult mai instarit iar ea neavand mai nimic apare o fractura care ii desparte. Aceasta se adanceste in momentul in care el intalneste niste cunostinte din cercul sau monden si ii este rusine pur si simplu cu ea si saracia ei. Umilinta pe care Kitty o traieste este greu de descris pentru ca el se preface ca nu o cunoaste. Ea va ajunge sa invinga iubirea oarba cu ajutorul ratiunii. Iar in final el ramane doar o "cunostinta intamplatoare".
Imi place ca Howells mereu analizeaza firi atat de complexe, atat de diferite si desigur mai este si calatoria care e ca o muzica distinsa ce insoteste aceasta splendida poveste de dragoste.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews