William Dean Howells, The Rise of Silas Lapham

Michael Anesko (Penn State University)
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From a career spanning half a century and a tally of works including thirty-five full length novels,

The Rise of Silas Lapham

remains conspicuous in the oeuvre of William Dean Howells (1837-1920) for its readerly longevity. Since its appearance in 1885, the novel has never been out of print, even while the author’s reputation has suffered the vicissitudes of changing tastes and shifting canonical preferences. Like one of its title character’s favorite fleet-footed horses, the novel came out of the gate at full gallop. London’s

Saturday Review

immediately declared that “

The Rise of Silas Lapham

is a novel which no one can neglect who cares to understand American character. Any one who wishes to gain an insight into the conditions of life in America, and to peer into its social…

1019 words

Citation: Anesko, Michael. "The Rise of Silas Lapham". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7593, accessed 19 March 2024.]

7593 The Rise of Silas Lapham 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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