Customer Reviews

A Hazard of New Fortunes (Modern Library Classics)

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William Dean Howells in his lifetime was ranked with his friend,Henry James as a writer of a new realistic kind of fiction,and however mild and idealistic it seems today,was considered by its admirers as refreshingly revolutionary and by others as cynical meanspiritedness seeking to sacrifice all that was "noble" in art.While actually having little in common with James, (he seems to be closer in spirit to Trollope)Howells' name was always side by side with James' and it was probably supposed that their future reputations would share a similiar fate. Unfortunately,that was not the case-while Henry James is considered a giant of American belles lettres,Howells has been relegated to minor status and except by a happy few,little read."A Hazard of New Fortunes",possibly Howell's best work,is one of the better known-but most people aren't aware that it is one of the greatest works of fiction in American literature.It is an impressive panorama of American life towards the end of the last century.People from Boston,the west,the south and Europe all converge in New York to enact a comedy of manners or tragedy,depending on their fortunes,that compares in its scope and masterly dissection of society, with"The Way We Live Now".Howell's light irony touches upon the eternal divisions between the haves and the have-nots,male and female,the socially secure and the unclassed,and with the Marches,the book's ostensible heroes,uses a typical normal middleclass family-with all of its intelligence,understanding,decency on one side and with all of its pretensions,timidity,selfishness on the other-to reflect the social unease and lack of justice in a supposedly sane and fair world.The book is subtle in its power and underneath its light tone probes the problems of its day with compassion and insight.Indeed,many of the problems it depicts are still relevant today.William Dean Howells wrote so many novels of worth that he deserves to have more than just a cult following; "A Hazard of New Fortunes" amply illustrates this.

Howells' "Hazard" is an extremely evocative novel of New York in the 1880s. Unlike the more famous works of Edith Wharton, Howells' characters carefully reflect the full spectrum of American society of the day. The character of Fulkerson is one of the earliest instances of that American institution, the born salesman. And the other archetypes are there as well: the fallen Southern beauty and her gracious father, the German immigrant socialist, the farmer-cum-robber baron and grasping family, the society girl who turns to settlement house work. I have yet to find a novel that gives a more comprehensive snapshot of the era. Also of interest to any Atlantic readers like myself, Howells served as that monthly's editor for some twenty years. The book's office scenes are heavily based on the experience. It provides a very interesting bit of journalistic history.

A usual book review outlines something of the plot, not enough to give everything away, but at least something to catch a potential reader's fancy. I cannot assure you that this book has much of plot---some men come together to run a new bi-weekly magazine in New York in the 1880s, their financial backer has hickish, conservative tendencies and he opposes a certain impoverished writer who supports socialism (then a wild-eyed fantasy. This rich man's son, who abhors any form of business, is made into the managing editor. A crisis develops, takes a sudden unexpected turn, and the men buy out the backer, who leaves for Europe. Most novels have a main character whose moods and motivations are central to the work. Not A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES. Several people figure almost equally in this respect, none of them women, but women are developed more than in most male-authored novels of the time, even including a sympathetic view of a very independent female character. Basil March might be taken for the main character, but that would be mostly because he is introduced first. He is abandoned for long stretches while we follow the lives and personalities of others.

Yet, I must say, I admired Howells' novel very much. It is not for those who require action, sex, or dramatic events. Rather, it is a slice of life of the period, of the place, of family life and social repartee that may be unequalled. Though Howells claimed to be a "realist" and he is often spoken of, it seems, as one of such a school in American literature, the novel oscillates between extremely vivid descriptions of all varieties of life in New York, humanist philosophizing, and mild melodrama, thus, I would not class it as a truly realist novel in the same sense as say, "McTeague" by Frank Norris. Howells had the American optimism, the reluctance to dwell on the darker sides of human nature. This novel may draw accusations, then, of naivete. I think that would be short-sighted. Henry James and Faulkner might be deeper psychologically and Hemingway more sculpted, but Howells sometimes puts his finger right on the very essence of American ways of thinking and on American character. Some sections, like for instance the long passage on looking for an apartment in New York-over thirty pages---simply radiate genius. The natural gas millionaire and his shrewish daughter; the gung-ho, go-getter manager of the magazine; the dreamy, but selfish artists, the Southern belle---all these may be almost stock characters in 20th century American letters, but can never have been better summarized than here. Two statements made by Basil March, a literary editor married into an old Boston family, sum up the feel of A HAZARD OF NEW FORTUNES, a novel that takes great cognizance of the potential for change in people (always an optimist's point of view). First, he says, "There's the making of several characters in each of us; we are each several characters and sometimes this character has the lead in us, and sometimes that." And lastly, he says "I don't know what it all means, but I believe it means good." Howells was no doubt a sterling man and this, perhaps his best novel, reflects that more than anything else.

W.D. Howells used to be the editor of Harper's magazine in an era when the world was undergoing dramatic change all around. Mr. Howells manages to capture in a kaleidascopic fashion the world of New York from the varied perspectives of the staff of a fictional magazine in New York.

It might take some readers some time in getting used to the language of the book. But it's worth it. If you're a sucker for a fast-moving plot, don't bother. I enjoyed this story for its marvellous descriptions of New York City, its acute observations about people and its ability to capture a society undergoing a lot of change. It's a book that provides a snapshot of a certain era. It's especially fascinating to read about this topic given what's happening now, at the turn of another century and all the other changes that are coming with it. While we're going through the Information Revolution, they went through the Industrial Revolution. I often think about what an apt title this would be for a sequal, "A Hazard of New Fortunes II," more than 100 years later. Only this time the story would be told from the perspectives of an editor, publisher, Web production people etc of a venture-funded Web site. Perhaps Kurt Andersen has already done this with "Turn of the Century." I haven't read it yet.

W.D. Howells used to be the editor of Harper's magazine in an era when the world was undergoing dramatic change. Mr. Howells manages to capture in a kaleidascopic fashion the world of New York from the varied perspectives of the staff of a fictional magazine in New York.

It might take some readers some time in getting used to the language of the book. But it's worth it. If you're a sucker for a fast-moving plot, don't bother. I enjoyed this story for its marvellous descriptions of New York City, its acute observations about people and its ability to capture a society undergoing a lot of change. It's an especially fascinating read at the turn of another century and all the other changes that are coming with it. I often think about what an apt title this would be for a sequal, "A Hazard of New Fortunes II," more than 100 years later. This time the story would be told from the perspectives of an editor, publisher, Web production people etc of a venture-funded Web si!te. Perhaps Kurt Andersen has already done this with "Turn of the Century." I haven't read it yet.

A Hazard Of New Fortunes, by William Dean Howells is an excellent novel about the lives of a middle class family in the late nineteenth century. The novel follows a family through a move, a house hunt, and a new business. Howells does a wonderful job capturing the scenes in this book and making them come to life. This book also can be related to our everyday life. The only change that is necessary is to update the social aspect. Howells uses description, language and women to really reveal the lives of his characters, through this he makes them into individuals.
The use of language in this novel is a marker of people and a class distinction. There are specific characters that don't need to be named, they just need to talk and the reader can pick them out from the others. These distinctions are made mostly through the use of dialect. Dryfoos has a very particular southern accent. He is rich and is thinks himself to be high society. Though the people around him look down on him because of his speech and his behaviors. Another character with a different dialect is Lindau, who is a German-speaking friend of the March's. He is very difficult to understand, but by reading his speech the reader can almost hear him saying his lines.
Women also play a very large role in this novel. Howells shows almost every type of women that any of the men might have encountered. He shows a strong domestic power through Mrs. March, while also showing power and artistic ability through Alma Leighton. Each woman seems to illustrate a different element of what makes a whole woman. One of the characters doesn't have a great deal of money but she has excellent manners and performs good deeds, so she is looked on as high society. Another character that has a great deal of money but not much class is looked down on for being wild and unrefined. Not all of these women see themselves as other do, but they do act on their instincts.
Howells makes notable use of description in this novel. He goes to great lengths to show the reader how a scene is conducted. For some readers this description may be too much and for other it helps to sharpen the image of the event. Near the beginning of the book the reader encounters a house hunt. In this pursuit the reader is given a description of every house they look at and a description of the people who work there. This shows the reader the exact detail of the structures and allows them to picture it just as the March's do. Another usage of description in this novel is through the movement of the characters. There is a conversation between two of the characters in which Howells describes how the one man smiles. This gives the reader a look into the mind of the character, it helps them to get a feel for what kind of person he is. All of these pieces help the reader to picture the story and to know each of the characters not only by name but by action as well.
A Hazard Of New Fortunes is a very good book if you enjoy deep descriptions and the use of dialect. You will also find it appealing if you are interested in looking at women's issues. There are of course some negative aspects of this book, such as, no individual representative of the working class or the high society. Also there is not much mention of African Americans in the book. So Howells representation of everyday life is slightly flawed. All the same I think this book is well worth reading and can be quite enjoyable.

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.

I am not sure about everyone else's copy but mine was missing pages 281-312. So, missing nearly 100 pages made it unreadable. I didn't notice until it was too late, so I have a $12 dust collector. DO NOT BUY THIS EDITION!!!

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.

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.