William Dean Howells

The March Family Trilogy William Dean Howells

In his first novel Howells introduces to us the March Family from Boston, a newly married couple. The story follows Basil and Isabel March on their honeymoon journey to New York and Hudson River, then west to Niagara Falls and finally to Quebec and Montreal. The story continues in A Hazard of New Fortunes when Marches, now with children, move from Boston to New York. The book, which takes place in late 19th century New York City, tells the story of Basil March, who finds himself in the middle of a dispute between his employer, a self-made millionaire and his old German teacher, an advocate for workers' rights. Finally, the story of the March family is completed in Their Silver Wedding Journey where Howells follows Basil and Isabel on their trip to Germany. William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own prolific writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day", and the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria. Howells is known to be the father of American realism, and a denouncer of the sentimental novel. He was the first American author to bring a realist aesthetic to the literature of the United States. His stories of Boston upper crust life set in the 1850s are highly regarded among scholars of American fiction.