Short Stories and Essays (from Literature and Life) by William Dean Howells
"Short Stories and Essays (from Literature and Life)" by William Dean Howells is a collection of narratives exploring various facets of life, culture, and society, likely penned in the late 19th century. The essays and stories delve into social observations, personal reflections, and portrayals of everyday life, drawing on the realities of human experience as Howells presents a tapestry of American life through his adept literary lens. The opening portion introduces the
essay "Worries of a Winter Walk," where the narrator recounts a cold winter morning in a bustling tenement area. Through vivid imagery, he describes the stark contrast of a lonely, frigid street against the warmth of human bustle usually present. The narrator encounters a small child eagerly fetching coal and is struck by her practicality and resilience, highlighting the harsh realities faced by children of the working class. As he reflects on this scene, he grapples with the moral complexity of using real-life situations as material for fiction, leading to deeper questions of empathy and responsibility toward those in need. This introspective exploration sets the tone for the collection, inviting readers to engage thoughtfully with the lives and struggles depicted within. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Short Stories and Essays (from Literature and Life)
Contents
Worries of a Winter Walk -- Summer Isles of Eden -- Wild Flowers of the Asphalt -- A Circus in the Suburbs -- A She Hamlet -- The Midnight Platoon -- The Beach at Rockaway -- Sawdust in the Arena -- At a Dime Museum -- American Literature in Exile -- The Horse Show -- The Problem of the Summer -- Aesthetic New York Fifty-odd Years Ago -- From New York into New England -- The Art of the Adsmith -- The Psychology of Plagiarism -- Puritanism in American Fiction -- The What and How in Art -- Politics in American Authors Storage -- "Floating down the River on the O-hi-o".
Credits
Produced by David Widger
Reading Level
Reading ease score: 54.9 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read.
