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1837-1920 by Solomon Davidoff
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1837-1920 by Solomon Davidoff
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Born March 1, 1837 in Martin's Ferry, Belmont County, Ohio, William Dean Howells was the second of William Cooper and Mary Dean Howells eight children. His heritage was Welsh, Dutch, German and Irish, leading him to remark on how that may have been why he felt so typically American. His father worked as an editor for various publications, including the 'Hamilton Intelligencer,' the 'Harrison Democrat' and the 'Retina,' as well as working as a toll collector on the Miami and Erie Canal. Howells went on to use his early experiences in Hamilton, where his family moved to in 1840, in his 1890 novel "A Boy's Town."
His formal education was slight, taking place in small schoolhouses in southwest Ohio, until he was 12 years old. Most of what he learned was from reading at home and working at his father's print shop. It was many years later that Howells and his contemporary Samuel Clemens compared their experiences working as printer boys in the American frontier.
Howells took his early experiences to heart again when he wrote "My Year in a Log Cabin," based on his experiences in Dayton, when his father was working on converting a gristmill to paper manufacture. Howells delivered papers in the mornings and set type at night. Later family moves took Howells to Ashtabula and Jefferson.
At
the age of 19, in 1856, Howells went to Columbus to write political
columns for country papers, working in turn for the Cincinnati
'Gazette' and later the 'Ohio State Journal,' again in Columbus.
Although he could have easily made a living as a newspaper reporter,
his preference was for fiction, as seen by his poetry writing that
was already being published in the 'Atlantic Monthly,' for which he
later became editor (from 1871-1881), publishing the likes of Bret
Harte, Mark Twain, George Washington Cable and others. Later work
involved editing the Easy Chair of 'Harper's.'
A young editorial writer for the 'Ohio State Journal' in the early 1960s, Howells was comissioned by the paper to write a biography of Abraham Lincoln, who had recently been nominated for the Presidency. The resulting book, "the Life of Abraham Lincoln," was written based on notes by Howells friend James Quay Howard, whom he sent to Springfield to do the necessary research. Howells later remarked that by doing this he had " . . . missed the greatest chance of (his) life." The book did effect his life, however, as the Ohio Republicans recommended Howells for a consular post, a position Lincoln granted, U.S. consul at Venice, a position he held for four years.
While on vacation from this position in Paris in 1862 Howells married Eleanor Mead, who he had previously met in Columbus. The Consul position gave him time to read and study, and spawned "Venetian Life" in 1866.
Howells is known, not only for his nearly seventy essays, novels, plays and poems, but as the founder of the literary method known as realism in fiction. He referred to it as "the truthful treatment of material," focusing on there here-and-now, avoiding the romantic fiction popular in his day. He was greatly influenced by reading Tolstoy and Balzac, and their influence shows in his first narrative, "Their Wedding Journey," written in 1872. Howells realistic works covered a variety of themes, from social adjustment, in "A Chance Acquaintance, " written in 1873, to "A Modern Instance," written in 1882 and the first American novel to feature divorce as a major theme.
1890 brought "A Hazard of New Fortunes," which
features a cross-section of New York City's society set against the
background of a New York streetcar strike.
The book tells the story of Jacob Dryfoos, an Indiana farmer who
sells his farm after discovering natural gas on his land. He
relocates to New York to satisfy his daughter's wishes to enter into
society, desires that cause him to regret the move, but to realize
that he can't go home again, that home is no longer there.
Howells received honorary degrees from a great variety of colleges and universities, including the prestigious Doctor of Letters from Oxford, England, and was awarded the gold medal of the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1915 "for distinguised work in fiction." On December 2, 1904 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and served as the first president until his death. Howells died in New York City on May 11, 1920.
Sources:
Baker, William D. William Dean Howells: The Influence of Ohio on His Life and Works. Columbus, Ohio: The State Library of Ohio, 1979.
Brenni, Vito J. William Dean Howells: A Bibliography (The Scarcrow Author Bibliographies, No. 9). Metuchen, New Jersey: The Scarecrow Press, 1973.
Brooks, Van Wych. Howells: His Life and World. New York: E.P. Dutton and Company, 1959.
Howells, William Dean. Years of My Youth. Bloomington, Indiana:Indiana University Press, 1975
Return to1890s America: A Chronology.
For More Information on-line concerning William Dean Howells and his work, why not explore these sources . . .
William Dean Howells Society Home Page
The William Dean Howells Collection at the Ohioana Library