A Traveler from Altruria & Through the Eye of the Needle

Set during the early 1890s in a fashionable summer resort somewhere on the East Coast of the United States, A Traveler from Altruria is narrated by a Mr Twelvemough, a popular author of light fiction who has been selected to function as host to a visitor from the faraway island of Altruria called Mr Homos. In the novel, the island state of Altruria serves as a foil to America, whose citizens, compared to Altrurians, appear selfish, obsessed with money, and emotionally imbalanced. Mainly, A Traveler from Altruria is a critique of unfettered capitalism and its consequences, and of the Gilded Age in particular._x000D_ Through the Eye of the Needle is a Utopian novel that follows A Traveler from Altruria. Howells casts this book in the form of an epistolary novel — a form favored by some other Utopian and dystopian writers. Aristides Homos, Howells's Altrurian protagonist, writes a series of letters home to his friend Cyril. Homos is now located in the densely urban environment of New York City, where he confronts the contrasts between America c. 1900 and his own pastoral and agrarian Utopianism in their most extreme forms. The dramatic center of the book is the love affair between Homos and Evelith Strange, a wealthy widow of the American plutocracy._x000D_ William Dean Howells (1837-1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright. Nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters", he was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly as well as his own prolific writings, including the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day", and the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria. Howells is known to be the father of American realism, and a denouncer of the sentimental novel.

William Dean Howells (1837–1920) was an American realist author, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed 'The Dean of American Letters'. He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of the Atlantic Monthly, as well as for his own prolific writings, including the Christmas story 'Christmas Every Day' and the novels 'The Rise of Silas Lapham' and 'A Hazard of New Fortunes'. Howells is often linked with Mark Twain and Henry James in a trinity of American literary giants of the late 19th century. His realist philosophy and literary style reflected in books such as 'A Traveler from Altruria' present a critical vision of American society at the turn of the century. The utopian novel not only critiqued the contemporary social system but also explored issues of social justice and economic reform. Similarly, 'Through the Eye of the Needle' continued Howells's engagement with issues of ethics and morality within the social fabric of his times. Howells's work is characterized by his clear-eyed view of America's gilded age, his commitment to social critique, and his faith in the power of literature as a vehicle for discussion and change. His impact on American literature is notable for paving the way for realistic narrative as the dominant mode of writing and for mentoring younger authors such as Edith Wharton and Stephen Crane.