REALISM IN AMERICAN FICTION: Contribution of William Dean Howells

In the current literary language, which is full of modernist, post-modernist, and post-post-modernist cliches, realism and all those associated with it are no longer considered relevant. William Dean Howells (1837-1920), a pioneer in American realism for almost three decades, is virtually obliterated from the present literary scence of America. The prime factor of his disappearance is that the literary trend of realism which he initiated is out of fashion now. The present study brings Howells’ revival once again, with emphasis on his representative novels, which have been analysed from two perspectives; firstly, from the contemporary context in which he was bound to write; and secondly, in the current context of post-modernism. It is hoped that the realistic analysis of Howells' works from post-modernist context would bring into light such features of these works which have yet not received much attention.