Contemporary Writers

doi:10.1017/9781108617208.015

Chapter 13 - Contemporary Writers

from Part II - Literary Contexts

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 December 2019

Kelly L. Richardson

Edited by

John Bird

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John Bird: Affiliation:
Winthrop University

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Summary

Twain’s two most important contemporaries were William Dean Howells and Henry James. Howells was a friend and champion of both writers, although Twain and James expressed distaste toward each other. Each in his own way was an important figure in the emerging literary realism. Although Twain claimed that he preferred reading history and biography over novels and literature, he was an avid reader of his contemporaries’ works, even if he often criticized them. Harriet Beecher Stowe was his next-door neighbor, and he entertained fellow writers in his Hartford mansion. Twain was a champion of some younger writers, although he wearied at the constant demands for advice and help from emerging writers.

Keywords

Mark Twain Samuel Clemens nineteenth-century American writers Henry James William Dean Howells Bret Harte Harriet Beecher Stowe

Type: Chapter
Information: Mark Twain in Context , pp. 130 - 138

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108617208.015 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2020

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References

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