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The Rise of Silas Lapham

William Dean Howells

Book Overview: 

The Rise of Silas Lapham is the most widely read of W.D. Howells’ novels. An example of literary realism, the story is about a farmer (Silas Lapham) who launches a very successful paint business, and moves his family up the social ladder of Boston. Lapham, however, is not one of the new types of American businessman, the ruthless plutocrat, rather he is the old-fashioned trustworthy Yankee trader, and the story deals with how he fares in the industrial capitalist environment. It is also a novel of manners, telling the story of the courtship of a daughter, and the difficulties the family deals with in attempting to move from one social class to another.

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Book Excerpt: 
. . .Corey had just said.

"I suppose," continued the young man, "I could have got several people whose names you know to back my industry and sobriety, and say a word for my business capacity. But I thought I wouldn't trouble anybody for certificates till I found whether there was a chance, or the ghost of one, of your wanting me. So I came straight to you."

Lapham gathered himself together as well as he could. He had not yet forgiven Corey for Mrs. Lapham's insinuation that he would feel himself too good for the mineral paint business; and though he was dispersed by that astounding shot at first, he was not going to let any one even hypothetically despise his paint with impunity. "How do you think I am going to take you on?" They took on hands at the works; and Lapham put it as if Corey were a hand coming to him for employment. Whether he satisfied himself by this or not, he reddened a little after he had said it.

Corey answered, i. . . Read More

Community Reviews

Ξεκίνησα το παρόν βιβλίο όπως κάθε άλλο της σειράς Orbis Literae, χωρίς δηλαδή να διαβάσω το οπισθόφυλλο και με τυφλή εμπιστοσύνη στους επιμελητές της σειράς.

Διάβασα τις πρώτες 100+ σελίδες σε διάστημα μιας εβδομάδας χωρίς να βρω κάτι το ιδιαίτερο και χωρίς να καταλάβω πού ακριβώς το πάει ο συγγραφ

This is a good American novel which is well shy of greatness because the author's characters read with a few exceptions more like simple archetypes of the American Dream. The novel concerns the eponymous Silas who has discovered a paint mine and brought his high quality paint to market. His business

Book Review

3 of 5 stars to The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells. Most of the works of literature that made up the canon during the late nineteenth century were classified as realistic literature. These realistic works resembled life as realistically as possible, ranging from

Recently, I was looking over some of my old notes on classics that I've read; that list isn't as long as I'd like, but it was also startling to note how few of the books on it I've actually reviewed on Goodreads. I try to make time to do a book review roughly every week, and if I'm not reviewing a b

From the very first paragraph, this felt as comfortable as putting on old comfy clothes and stretching out in the recliner. I read this in Complete Works of William Dean Howells where there is a very short introduction. I was reminded that Howells is among those of a group of realist writers. My fav

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