William Dean Howells

William Dean Howells (1837–1920) was an American novelist, critic and editor, often called the dean of American letters. Born in Ohio and largely self-taught, he served as United States consul in Venice during the Civil War and then became editor of The Atlantic Monthly, later writing an influential column for Harper's. A champion of realism, he encouraged Mark Twain, Henry James, Stephen Crane and others. His novels, including A Modern Instance, The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Hazard of New Fortunes, examine American business, marriage and social change with irony and moral seriousness.