Explores literature's social mission at the turn of the century as defined by William Dean Howells and practiced by him and others.
In a series of influential essays that appeared in "Harper s," W. D. Howells argued for literature as a vehicle for social change. Literature could and should, Howells suggested, mediate across divisions of class and region, fostering cross-cultural sympathies that would lead to comprehensive social and ethical reform.
Paul R. Petrie explores the legacy of Howells s beliefs as they manifest themselves in Howell s fiction and in the works of three major...