William-Dean-Howells.ppt

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1、Biography General introduction Family background Education & working experience Honors Writing Literary criticism Literary theory Major works The Rise of Silas LaphamGeneral introductionWilliam Dean Howells (1837-1920)was an American novelist,critic, playwright, essayist and poet.He was the initiato

2、r of theschool of American realists.Family background birth: a humble family, Martins Ferry, March 1,1837. his father: a newspaper editor and printer who displayed the best American frontier traits-independence, self-reliance, and conscience. Education & working experience Howells began to help his

3、father with typesetting and printing work at an early age. Howells received his most important schooling in the print shop and taught himself German, Italian, and Spanish, shaping his taste by reading in those literatures as well as English and American works. he turned to editorial work on the Ohio

4、 State Journal during1856 to 1861. a campaign biography of Lincoln (1860) an appointment as consul in Venice (1861-1865) he accepted an editorial post on the Nation in New York in 1865. he worked on the Atlantic Monthly as assistant editor in January 1866 and was promoted to editor in chief in 1871,

5、 then resigned the position in 1881. he accepted the editorship of Harpers Monthly in 1886 and resigned in 1891.Honors Yale, Princeton, Columbia, and Oxford all conferred honorary degrees upon him. Howells was elected the first president of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 1908.Literary c

6、riticism The literary critic should not try to impose arbitrary or subjective evaluations on books but should follow the detached scientist in accurate description, interpretation, and classification. The critics job was “to identify the literary species and explain the weaknesses of a work in the l

7、ight of the authors intentions.”Literary theory he condemned novels of sentimentality and morbid self-sacrifice. he advocated honesty and social responsibility in literature. his view on realism was “ nothing more and nothing less than the truthful treatment of material.” he urged writers to winnow

8、tradition and write in keeping with current humanitarian ideals.Features of Howells works He emphasized ethics. He held that truth is the highest beauty. He stressed the need for sympathy and moral integrity, and the need for different social classes to harmoniously adapt to their environment and to

9、 one another.Major works travel narratives Venetian Life (1866) Italian Journey (1867) poems The Pilots Story(1860)-abolitionism Poems of Two Friends (1860) his collaboration with John James Piatt Stops of Various Quills (1895) critical works Criticism and Fiction (1891) My Literary Passions (1895)

10、Heroines of Fiction (1901) My Mark Twain (1910)Major works books of reminiscences Boys Town (1890) My Year in a Log Cabin (1893) Impressions and Experiences (1896) Literary Friends and Acquaintances (1900) My Mark Twain (1910) Years of My Youth (1916)Major works plays Samson (1874) romance: A Counte

11、rfeit Presentment (1877) blank-verse tragedy: Yoricks Love (1878) his collaboration with Mark Twain: Colonel Sellers as a Scientist (1887)Major works novels Their Wedding Journey (1872) The Lady of the Aroostook (1879) A Modern Instance (1882) The Rise of Silas Lapham (1885) A Hazard of New Fortunes

12、 (1890) The Quality of Mercy (1892) An Imperative Duty (1893) A Traveler from Altruria (1894) Through the Eye of the Needle (1907)Major worksThe Rise of Silas Lapham the core of the novel: class conflict one of the first American novels of manners one of the first novels to look at the American busi

13、nessman and self-made millionairePlot A story of a fairly decent employer, and mostly honest businessman, who inherits his fathers small paint business and subsequently makes a large fortune. Silas moves his family from rural Vermont to Boston in order to try and improve his social position .He year

14、ns for his two daughters, Penelope and Irene, to marry well. However, blue-blooded Tom Coreys love for Penelope is against by his mother. Meanwhile, the severe competition leads him into dangerous financial waters that threaten to drown his business and swallow his family. Even if he could have sold

15、 his factory to a British company, he quits the opportunity for the sake of customers. Through all of their troubles, the Lapham family manages to stay together and stay strong in their family bonds. Even though they lose their money and physical possessions, they maintain their dignity. The love su

16、bplotTom Coreyelder sister Penelopeyounger sister IreneIt adds an element of mystery and suspense to the story.“economy of pain” formula to ensure “the greatest happiness for the greatest number”Realistic symbols The three houses owned by Silas create a social roadmap of the familys status at differ

17、ent points in the novel: The small farm in Vermont represents the beginning and end of Silas moral growth. the Nankeen Square house represents the Silas immergence into urban society. the Beacon Street house is a symbol of his success and his aspiration for the upper class which, he dreams of conque

18、ring. Silas moral rise begins with his financial fall; both are presented by the destruction of the house.For Howells Howells was critical of the rise of materialism in American life. The burning down of the house represents the victory of Howells idealized view of man and society. He would like to see his country become a more humane, a morally higher place.Thank you