A Foregone Conclusion William Dean Howells Books
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A Foregone Conclusion William Dean Howells Books
American artist-turned-consul Henry Ferris befriends Don Ippolito, a Venitian priest, in this short novel by William Dean Howells. One summer in Venice during the Civil War period two American tourists - a Mrs. Vervain and her beautiful daughter Florida - turn to these two men for help and change their lives forever. Don Ippolito, despite his vow of celibacy, believes he is falling in love with Florida, while Ferris, all diplomacy and artistic sensibilities, finds her haughty and ill-mannered. But more than the love story, Howells seems interested in exploring the uneasy relationship between these two very different men. And the way things end up, is of course, a foregone conclusion.Howells, one of the primary proponents of American Realism, presents us with a story that can nevertheless be viewed on many levels: as psychology, as religion, as art - the book hints at the whole world of human feeling. So why does Howells choose to tell this story of a Venetian priest who tinkers with mechanical gadgets, and an American consul who fancies himself a painter? A geo-political reading would suggest that the competition for the beautiful Florida symbolizes the struggle between the old and the new - certainly a relevant issue for post-Civil War Americans. Perhaps even more to the point, Howells may be using these characters to represent contrasting literary styles, where the priest is the dreamy romantic and the artist is the practical realist. However one chooses to interpret it, this is an entrancing story about two men at the crossroads of their lives, with exquisite prose, and some subtle moral lessons that make it well worth reading.
Of course there are some of the problems common with 19th Century fiction: the point of view makes it difficult to see the women as more than caricatures, there's absolutely no humor, and virtually no action. So if reading about the feelings and conversations of a man from a bygone era doesn't interest you, you might want to look elsewhere.
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A Foregone Conclusion William Dean Howells Books Reviews
William Dean Howells (1837-1920) ranks as one of America's most important authors. Ever heard of him? I hadn't either until I stumbled over his name several years ago, back when I was reading Frank Norris and Theodore Dreiser. Howells was a proponent and practitioner of realism in literature, a concept that meshed pretty well with novels written by Norris and Dreiser. Since I enjoyed "The Octopus," "McTeague," "Sister Carrie," and "An American Tragedy" so much, I just knew I needed to visit a few of Howells's novels at some point. That time is now. I read two of them, this one and "A Modern Instance". I'm not overly impressed with them. I know, I know...I probably need to read "The Rise of Silas Lapham" to get the full William Dean Howells effect. I just don't want to right now. I can say, after reading these two books, that I understand why Howells is such an obscure figure in American literature. He might practice the sort of realism that fueled many of the novels from Norris and Dreiser, but his failure to focus on the sordid details of American life cost him a lasting reputation with a popular audience.
"A Foregone Conclusion" takes place in Italy during the 1860s. While the Civil War rages away across the pond, American consul Henry Ferris spends his days painting pictures and enjoying the quaint Italian atmosphere. One day he receives a visit from Don Ippolito, a Catholic priest with a flair for inventing devices that don't work. He tries to sell Ferris an idea about a new cannon that will revolutionize warfare, but leaves dejected when the consul points out a glaring design flaw. The visit has a larger significance, however, when Mrs. Vervain and her daughter Florida arrive on the scene. Two Americans taking a leisurely jaunt through Europe, the Vervains strike up an initially one-sided friendship with Henry Ferris. When Mrs. Vervain expresses the desire that her daughter should learn Italian, Ferris remembers Ippolito and recommends him to the two women. And the promise of a job comes just in the nick of time, too, as the good Don is nearly broke and desperately needs funds to retain his residence. He agrees to accept the task, and in no time at all the Vervains, Don Ippolito, and Henry Ferris embark on several lengthy tours of the beautiful Italian landscape.
Problems soon emerge that threaten the group's tranquility. Florida, a proud but beautiful young woman, soon draws the attentions of both Don Ippolito and Henry Ferris. Should be a no brainer, right? How can a Catholic priest act on feelings he has for a woman? The whole celibacy vow should kill off any ideas about romance in a hurry. Not so fast. As the story gradually reveals, Ippolito never really wanted to become a priest in the first place. He is currently undergoing a crisis of faith that makes him want to leave the priesthood in order to become an inventor. Ferris assumes this revelation means Ippolito will run off with Florida, so he leaves Italy in a huff to do his own thing in the United States, always plagued by the memory of Florida Vervain and what might have been had the two married. I won't spoil the conclusion of the story for all two of the people who might read this book in the next couple of decades except to say that a marriage does eventually take place, as do several deaths, and the surviving characters often reflect on lessons learned during those troubled yet halcyon days in Italy.
I'm being a bit harsh on "A Foregone Conclusion". I did enjoy several elements of the novel, primarily the fascinating and minute detail Howells uses to describe the Italian countryside. He spent some time in Venice as consul during the Civil War (write what you know, I guess), so he is familiar with the sights and sounds of the region. He's a good writer too, good enough to bring the places the characters visit to life. Dialogue isn't a problem for Howells either, but prepare yourself for reading a novel clogged with constant talking and chitchatting. These people spit out more words than a livestock auctioneer on uppers. It's a good thing Howells occasionally alleviates things somewhat through the humorous antics of Mrs. Vervain. Without that, I am not sure I would have made it through the novel. Anyway, there are good things to say about "A Foregone Conclusion," and they offset occasionally the plodding pace and an ending that seemed rushed. Speaking of problems with the novel, did anyone else notice how certain parts of the story seemed like they were stuck together without any attempt to make them flow? I did. It's the mark of a writer still feeling his way through a first or second novel.
I came into "A Foregone Conclusion" with the comparison between Howells, Norris, and Dreiser on my mind, so I noticed right away the lavish attention spent on creating detailed atmosphere (a hallmark of realism and central to stories by Norris and Dreiser) as well as the controversial idea of placing a priest with a crisis of faith front and center in the story. The idea of a man of the cloth doubting the existence of God must have shocked readers of the story back in the 1870s, but it's less sordid of a concept today. Another reviewer noticed how Howells used Ippolito and Ferris as representatives of the divide between America and Europe in the late 19th century. Good catch! I never saw that while I read the book, but the theory fits in well with Howells perceptions about the differences between the two geographical regions. So there you go. "A Foregone Conclusion" does offer up plenty of meat to the lover of classic literature. You just need to get past the problems I noted above to get there. Good luck.
American artist-turned-consul Henry Ferris befriends Don Ippolito, a Venitian priest, in this short novel by William Dean Howells. One summer in Venice during the Civil War period two American tourists - a Mrs. Vervain and her beautiful daughter Florida - turn to these two men for help and change their lives forever. Don Ippolito, despite his vow of celibacy, believes he is falling in love with Florida, while Ferris, all diplomacy and artistic sensibilities, finds her haughty and ill-mannered. But more than the love story, Howells seems interested in exploring the uneasy relationship between these two very different men. And the way things end up, is of course, a foregone conclusion.
Howells, one of the primary proponents of American Realism, presents us with a story that can nevertheless be viewed on many levels as psychology, as religion, as art - the book hints at the whole world of human feeling. So why does Howells choose to tell this story of a Venetian priest who tinkers with mechanical gadgets, and an American consul who fancies himself a painter? A geo-political reading would suggest that the competition for the beautiful Florida symbolizes the struggle between the old and the new - certainly a relevant issue for post-Civil War Americans. Perhaps even more to the point, Howells may be using these characters to represent contrasting literary styles, where the priest is the dreamy romantic and the artist is the practical realist. However one chooses to interpret it, this is an entrancing story about two men at the crossroads of their lives, with exquisite prose, and some subtle moral lessons that make it well worth reading.
Of course there are some of the problems common with 19th Century fiction the point of view makes it difficult to see the women as more than caricatures, there's absolutely no humor, and virtually no action. So if reading about the feelings and conversations of a man from a bygone era doesn't interest you, you might want to look elsewhere.
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