A Hazard of New Fortunes

A Hazard of New Fortunes is a seminal 1890 novel by American author William Dean Howells, a leading figure of American literary realism. The narrative centers on the establishment of a new magazine in New York City and serves as a panoramic exploration of the city's burgeoning Gilded Age society, encompassing themes of class conflict, economic disparity, and ideological clashes. Through its large cast of characters from diverse social strata, the novel critically examines the moral and social hazards of modern urban life and industrial capitalism.

Plot summary

The plot follows Basil March, a middle-aged insurance agent from Boston, who is recruited by his old friend Fulkerson to become the editor of a new literary magazine in New York City financed by the wealthy Dryfoos family. The relocation of the March family to New York initiates their immersion into the city's complex social fabric. The narrative intertwines the fortunes of the magazine's staff, including the radical German socialist Lindau, the Southern colonel Woodburn, and the young artist Beaton, with the financial ambitions of Jacob Dryfoos and the romantic entanglements surrounding his daughter Christine Dryfoos. Central conflicts arise from ideological disputes between capital and labor, culminating in the violent Tompkins Square riot and a tragic streetcar strike that results in the deaths of key characters, forcing a profound reassessment of values among the survivors.

Characters

The novel features an extensive ensemble cast representing a cross-section of Gilded Age society. Basil March and his wife Isabel March serve as the central observers and moral compasses. The financier Jacob Dryfoos, a former Pennsylvania farmer turned natural gas speculator, embodies new wealth, while his children, Conrad Dryfoos and Christine Dryfoos, struggle with his materialistic values. Fulkerson, the pragmatic promoter, manages the business affairs of the magazine *Every Other Week*. Intellectual and ideological perspectives are provided by the idealistic socialist Lindau, the conservative Colonel Woodburn, and the aesthete Beaton. Other significant figures include the literary contributor Miss Vance, the working-class Alma Leighton, and the German family the Leightons.

Themes and analysis

Howells employs the novel as a vehicle for examining the pressing social issues of late-19th century America, particularly the tensions inherent in the rapid industrialization and urbanization epitomized by New York City. A primary theme is the conflict between capitalism and socialism, dramatized through debates between characters like Dryfoos and Lindau. The narrative explores the moral "hazard" of economic speculation and the human cost of class conflict, notably during the streetcar strike scenes which reference real events like the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Howells also critiques the art world, aestheticism, and the changing roles of women, while employing the structure of the novel to present a multi-perspectival, sociological portrait of a society in flux, a technique influenced by European realists like Leo Tolstoy and Ivan Turgenev.

Publication history

*A Hazard of New Fortunes* was first serialized in Harper's Weekly in 1889, illustrated by the noted artist William Ludwell Sheppard. It was subsequently published in book form in 1890 by Harper & Brothers in New York City. The novel's composition was notably impacted by the execution of the Haymarket affair anarchists in 1887, which deepened Howells's concern with social justice and influenced the novel's treatment of labor unrest. The work is considered part of Howells's "New York series," which includes *The Quality of Mercy* and *The World of Chance*, and it remains his most celebrated and ambitious long novel.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the novel was widely praised for its ambitious scope and realistic depiction of New York City life. Contemporary reviews in publications like *The Atlantic Monthly* and *The Century Magazine* commended its ethical seriousness and complex characterizations. In the 20th century, critics such as Alfred Kazin and Everett Carter solidified its reputation as a classic of American literary realism and a crucial document of the Gilded Age. Modern scholarly analysis often focuses on its treatment of socialism, its economic themes, and its formal innovations in plotting and perspective. While some later critics found its resolution somewhat muted, *A Hazard of New Fortunes* is consistently regarded as William Dean Howells's masterpiece and a foundational text in the study of American urban and social fiction. Category:1889 American novels Category:Novels by William Dean Howells Category:American realist novels Category:Novels set in New York City Category:Harper & Brothers books