by William Dean Howells
|
| List Price: | $16.00 |
| Amazon Price: | $12.48 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. |
| You Save: | $3.52 (22%) |
| Average Rating: |  |
| Lowest New Price: | $9.32 |
| Availablitiy: | Usually ships in 24 hours |
|
 |
|
Product Description
Centering on a conflict between a self-made millionaire and an idealistic reformer in turn-of-the-twentieth-century New York, A Hazard of New Fortunes insightfully renders the complexities of the American experience at a time of great social and economic upheaval and transformation. In its depiction of wealth, poverty, and New York City life, it remains a strikingly contemporary work.
Reproduced here is the authoritative Indiana University Press Edition edited and annotated by David J. Nordloh, with full scholarly commentary and extensive textual apparatus.
Customers who bought this item also bought
Average Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 A tough read, but worth it., 2009-08-17
I am really interested in this time period of American history, because I see many similarities between it and today. Today has its Robber Barons (banks, insurance companies, big pharma), just as the 1880s and 1890s had its tycoons in railroads, banks, etc. The stark contrast between the elite and the teeming masses is evident in Howells' descriptions of 5th Ave and the Lower East Side tenement houses. I thought this book was a tough read, but it gave me some interesting insights surprisingly applicable to today's political and economic debates. I also enjoyed Howells' descriptions of life in NYC, especially the elevated rail that ran through NYC (news to me), and the mention of the Statue of Liberty.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
 Being Brilliant can Be Hazardous to Your Health!, 2008-07-23
William Dean Howells is best known as one of America's first man of letters regarding his contributions to literature in America. He writes a story about the March family who leave their beloved Boston to New York City. Mrs. March was hesitant and apprehensive about such a move. She hates New York City. Over the time, her husband has a tremendous business opportunity in creating a magazine entitled Every Other Week. Howells does an excellent job in description of life in that era. He also brings in characters like Alma Leighton, Dryfoos, and Fulkerson who owns the magazine. With the money, the March make the enormous move to another strange city. There Mrs. March learns to adapt and enjoy her life as New Yorker, their son and daughter also learn to enjoy life in the big apple. Unfortunately, the father, Mr. March has to deal with a difficult employer and a group of employees with a lot more character that we soon realize as the book gets into it. The book is an American masterpiece and I am happy to be re-reading it for pleasure rather than for a college class entitled American Novel but it should have been retitled American Masterpieces. This book is an American Masterpiece and William Dean Howells should be much more well-known to audiences.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Book Review, 2007-02-06
Unless you took a good American Literature survey course, you probably never heard of or remember the author, William Dean Howles. After reading A Hazard of New Fortunes, you will both remember him and recommend the book and may want to read his other work.
7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
 My Review of "A Hazard of New Fortunes", 2004-07-21
A Hazard of New Fortunes
In the book, A Hazard of New Fortunes, written by William Dean Howells, you can see that he was aiming to reach realism. You will not find any ghosts, talking animals, or magical things anywhere in this story, but you will find everyday things like house hunting, marital spats and business. I think this book had both good and bad qualities to it. I did enjoy the book, however, in my opinion, there were many parts that could be left out without taking away from the general theme. The book is set, first in Boston, but the majority takes place in New York.
We are first introduced to the main characters, Mr. and Mrs. March, and then to Fulkerson. Fulkerson is a very ambitious character who is trying to start a bi-weekly magazine and wants his good friend Basil March to move to New York and become his editor. Fulkerson said the magazine had to be made in New York because, ?There?s only one city that belongs to the whole country, and that?s New York.? He wants his magazine to be unlike any other, one that would offer great literature with short stories, articles with the ?must haves? of society along with work from fresh new artists. March is interested, but does not want to move his whole life and family. As it turns out he has no other choice when he is let go from his present job, so they all set off for New York.
This is where the story really starts to develop . Howells now introduces the readers to the rest of the characters in a way that I think is very smart. He introduces them all separately and then throughout the story he intertwines all the main characters lives to one another. For example we are told about the character Beaton as he is being talked about by ?the widow? and Alma. Then we come to find out Beaton is the new art editor for Fulkerson?s magazine ?Every Other Week.? I think that character development is one of Howells strong points. The way he describes all of the people in this book really gives the reader an idea of what they are like, so much so that we can picture them in our minds.
This novel is very realistic and it deals with many important ideas, not only for it?s time, but some that are still important today. It deals with death, grief, marriages, money, greed, social class and social acceptance. Many times throughout this book, the characters express how much they just want to fit in. One of the most obvious parts to see this is through the March?s. When they are talking to one another about moving the things she says really shows how much she cares how she is viewed in society. She says one reason she does not want to move is because she will not know where to shop at. This is really important because it really helps to show the need of acceptance in a specific class. When looking for a house or flat to live in New York she comes up with guidelines and even boundaries of where they can stay to make sure they were with others of their class. The narrator writes, ?She found that there was an east and west line beyond which they could not go if they wished to keep their self respect.? When talking to her husband about the requirements for their new flat, Mrs. March says, ?It must not be higher than the third floor; it must have an elevator, steam heat, hall boy and a pleasant janitor.?
The Dryfoos?s are another example of the struggle to be accepted. They are the ?new money? in the book, and Mr. Dryfoos is the financial backer for the magazine. He comes to New York with his wife, two daughters and his son to try and invest and add to his growing fortunes. The daughters, Christine and Mela, feel that because their father is so rich, that they are at the top of the social class. When really they are looked down upon by the rest of the society because in the upper class, the people are smart, well rounded and know how to present themselves accordingly. So the girls do not make many friends. Conrad Dryfoos is the son, and also publisher of the magazine. His character goes through a different kind of struggle, because he does not care about being rich or popular, he wanted to become a priest and dedicate his life to helping the poor. So he has to continually defend his beliefs and try to make his father happy by staying in the business.
Another important issue in this book is the ?role of the woman.? At the time, women were still viewed as second best to the males. They were still supposed to be married off, cook, clean, have children and take care of the family. Because of this, they were viewed as not having much power; however this is very wrong. Women might not have been very active in the stock market or other businesses yet, but their influence was felt everywhere. They influenced what was read, purchased and what was popular. Fulkerson is very aware of this and says, ?We want to make a magazine that will go for the women?s fancy every time. We?ve got to recognize that women form three fourths of the reading public in this country.? And by having the art and literature donations being anonymous in his magazine, it helped to get women some money and recognition for their work. Everyone in the society who knows Alma knows she is talented, but many feel that because she is a women, and will never get recognized for it, then she should just give it up. Her art teacher says, ?The girl has some notion of it, there?s no doubt about that. But-she?s a woman.? But with this magazine, she gets the opportunity for thousands to see her work. Mrs. March is another example of the power. She may not be the breadwinner of the family, but she is still very smart, and knows what to say and do to influence her husband. She tells him what she likes and dislikes, and helps him by providing support and confidence in his choices. The final decision to move was made by her, and a few other important decisions were also suggested by Mrs. March.
I think this is a good book, one with great character developments and details, and important issues such as greed, money and social status. Though it is in the realism genre, there are many things left out, such as the working and lower class people as well as diversity in the characters race or religion. But even with the things left out, it is still a well written book.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Howells' and Realsim, 2004-07-20
Jennifer Green
English Student
Wayne State University
A Review for Howells? A Hazard of New Fortunes
William Dean Howells? novel, A Hazard of New Fortune, is an excellent example of realism in prose. Howells? text is so descriptive, that you can see the characters as though they were standing in front of you. He accurately describes nineteenth century New York, down to the exact streets that a middle class person should never cross. It is in part, his description, which makes the book such a quick read. Yet, to those readers who lose themselves within description, this novel may be hard to follow. Howells? spends more than ten pages describing a house hunt; he describes each house and the person who is attempting to sell it in great detail, which at times can cause the reader to wonder if they missed the point in the last few pages. Depending upon how the reader is able to deal with the descriptive prose, determines the readers response to this particular novel.
His characters are very human, flawed and selfish like any person one may meet while walking on the street. It is this quality that makes their decisions easy to follow and their thoughts easy to understand. His characters are the most important part of the novel, as opposed to the plot, and the reader must watch what each does very closely. His categories and descriptions of characters are very in depth and must have close attention paid, or the reader will miss crucial points. His characters roles, and the impact each has on the other was what made the book so engaging. The Marches are the first characters the reader is introduced to, and they are the main focus of this book. They are a middle class family currently living in Boston, and are faced with the notion of starting a new business in New York. Howells? accurately describes their inner most thoughts, and has the reader very informed in what they are feeling.
Howells? uses dialect so strongly within his novel that the reader is able to tell which character is speaking without their names. Each character is given a distinct personality, and in doing this readers easily identify with them. The Dryfoos family is a prominent example of his use with dialect and personality. They are from the south, and have just struck it rich by natural gas. They have come to live in New York and have sold their farm to live amongst the higher classes. Every one of them is homesick for their old way of life and is very uncomfortable in their new found glory. They are ignorant of proper behavior, and often make a fool of themselves with their speech and arrogance. When one of them is speaking within the text it is easy for a reader to pick up which one of the Dryfoos family it is. Each member have such a distinct personality, Mr. Dryfoos is a hard old man, Mrs. Dryfoos is a lonely sad old women, Conrad is a compassionate young man, Christine is a shrewd young woman, and Mela is a frivolous young lady. Howells? skill is so strong that the reader is not only able to picture them talking, but to almost hear them in their head. The only misuse of dialect is the in the Woodburn family. His idea of this accent is so atrocious it?s laughable. This is not an accurate account for they way people talk in the south, and his ridiculous adaptation of the language makes the Woodburn?s unrealistic as characters. They are held at arms length, and not a true credible source for southern habits. Colonel Woodburn is a southerner who strongly believed that the north interfered with the south and had they not; the slavery issue could have been perfected into a better system. He has an entire novel that he has written dedicated to showing the north the error of their ways. These characters are often shown talking to more significant characters, which in turn shoves their credibility and their ideas farther away from what the reader will utilize from the novel.
Howells? book places women in the work place at a time where it was very uncommon to do so. Miss Alma Leighton is an artist and she and her mother moved to New York so she could advance her skill. Her art is the most used for the project the Marches have under taken, which was quite unusual at that time. Alma stands on her own, and is confident enough in herself to make all decisions affecting her life. She seems almost to be a type of heroine in the novel, as the only unmarried female character who doesn?t alter herself for society.
Howells? novel is an excellent prose ad keeps the reader guessing as to its end all the way through. It has a voice through its characters and develops that voice as the characters evolve into society. The novel does not correctly reflect every type of person; the working class is hardly seen and never speaks, showing once again the realism of a human writer. He is just as flawed as any of his characters, he cannot please or include everyone and neither can any other human being. His novel is an excellent read, and will be a valuable use of any reader?s time.
Price is accurate as of the date/time indicated. Prices and product availability are subject to change. Any price displayed on the Amazon website at the time of purchase will govern the sale of this product.
|
Store Categories
|