This book investigates the critical standing of William Dean Howells by re-evaluating his late-career works to demonstrate his foundational role in the American literary tradition. Paul Abeln, a scholar of American literature, challenges the long-standing tendency to view Howells merely as a secondary figure compared to contemporaries like Mark Twain and Henry James. By analyzing Howells's self-awareness regarding his own limitations and his influence on the next generation of writers, Abeln argues that Howells was a central architect of the transition into modern American realism.

Scholars and critics recognize this work as a significant contribution to the ongoing reassessment of Howells's place in the canon. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the text, which serves as a useful resource for those interested in the evolution of American realism.