A Hazard of New Fortunes (Summarized Edition)
Enriched edition. Gilded Age New York's class conflicts and capitalism's costs in a realist portrait of ordinary urban lives
Published on 10. January 2026
148 pages
8596547882244 (EAN)
Available for download
Description
A Hazard of New Fortunes follows Basil and Isabel March to New York, where Fulkerson hires Basil to edit the new magazine Every Other Week. Across offices, parlors, and streetcar lines, Howells composes a panoramic social comedy edged with menace: the immigrant socialist Lindau debates the ex-Confederate Colonel Woodburn; the newly rich investor Dryfoos asserts the sovereignty of capital; and a strike erupts, ending in Conrad Dryfoos's death. In supple, gently ironic realism, the novel blends metropolitan observation and dialogue to anatomize Gilded Age capitalism, labor unrest, and the rise of a modern media culture. Howells, long styled the dean of American realism, drew on his editorial career-from The Atlantic Monthly to his New York work with Harper's-to render the magazine world from within. His outspoken response to the Haymarket affair sharpened his social conscience, and his late-1880s immersion in Manhattan supplied the novel's documentary textures. Returning to his recurring protagonist Basil March, he tests how markets shape art and citizenship. Readers interested in American realism, labor history, or media studies will find this novel exacting and humane: a bracing, timely inquiry into class, immigration, and the ethics of publishing.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable-distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Author Biography · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
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William Dean Howells (1837-1920) stands out as a pivotal American literary figure, bridging the 19th and 20th centuries with his works that reflect a transition from the realism to the social and psychological depth of modernist fiction. Born in Martinsville, now known as Martins Ferry, Ohio, Howells rose from modest origins to become an influential editor and critic, notably of The Atlantic Monthly, as well as a prolific novelist and playwright. His literary contributions include over a hundred books ranging from novels to plays, criticism, and poetry. A central figure in American literature, Howells is particularly acclaimed for his leading role in the realism movement, eschewing the romanticized depictions of life for a more faithful, unvarnished portrayal of American society. His commitment to realism is exemplified in what is often considered his finest novel, 'A Hazard of New Fortunes' (1890), which explores issues of class, capitalism, and urbanization through the story of a group of New Yorkers starting a new literary magazine. The novel stands as a landmark of literary realism and offers keen insights into the challenges and complexities of the Gilded Age. Howells' literary style is characterized by his astute social observations, character-driven narratives, and a refined prose that captures the nuances of American speech and experience. Through his writing and influential critical essays, Howells advocated for realism and for writers like Mark Twain and Henry James, helping to shape the direction of American letters in the late 19th century.
