The publication of

in 1882 marked a turning point in the career of William Dean Howells (1837-1920), who abandoned the editorship of the

– the standard bearer among American literary periodicals – just as he was embarking on what was to be his most ambitious novel to date. From his early years on the Ohio frontier, Howells had dreamed of securing the esteem of the pillars of New England literary culture; and against many odds he largely had won it by the 1870s, when he was brought forward to edit the

.

chronicles the life of a far less reputable literary man – an ambitious journalist named Bartley Hubbard – who is neither afraid nor ashamed to play fast and loose with his sources and to exploit others’ vulnerabilities…

1185 words

Citation: Anesko, Michael. "A Modern Instance". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 08 February 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7045, accessed 04 December 2024.]