Their Wedding Journey

Their Wedding Journey is an 1871 novel by the prominent American author and literary critic William Dean Howells. Often considered a pioneering work of American realist fiction, the narrative follows a newly married couple, Basil and Isabel March, as they travel from Boston to Niagara Falls and into Canada via the St. Lawrence River. The novel eschews dramatic plot in favor of detailed observation of character, scenery, and the social customs of post-Civil War America, establishing themes and characters Howells would revisit in later works like A Hazard of New Fortunes.

Plot summary

The story chronicles the leisurely honeymoon travels of Basil and Isabel March through the iconic landscapes of the Northeastern United States. Departing from Boston, they journey by rail and steamboat, with major stops at the bustling Albany train station, the natural wonder of Niagara Falls, and the historic city of Quebec. The narrative is largely episodic, composed of vignettes depicting their observations of fellow tourists, encounters with middle-class travelers, and reactions to the sublime and sometimes commercialized scenery. A significant portion of the journey involves a voyage on the St. Lawrence River, offering reflections on Canada as seen through American eyes. The plot culminates not with a grand event but with the couple's quiet return, their relationship subtly deepened by shared experience.

Publication history

Their Wedding Journey was first published in 1871 by James R. Osgood and Company of Boston, a prominent firm that also published works by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.. The novel initially appeared serially in *The Atlantic Monthly*, a magazine where Howells served as assistant editor and later editor-in-chief, shaping American literary taste. This serialization preceded its release in book form, a common publishing practice of the era championed by figures like Charles Dickens. The work was part of a prolific period for Howells, following earlier titles like *Venetian Life* and preceding major novels such as The Rise of Silas Lapham. Subsequent editions were issued by various publishers, including Houghton Mifflin, cementing its place in the canon of American realist literature.

Critical reception

Upon its release, the novel was praised for its charming, quiet fidelity to ordinary experience, with many reviewers in publications like *The Nation* and *Harper's Magazine* commending its delicate humor and accurate portrayal of American travel. However, some contemporary critics found its lack of conventional dramatic action to be a deficiency. Over time, its stature grew significantly; literary scholars and historians, including Van Wyck Brooks and Everett Carter, came to recognize it as a foundational text in the development of American literary realism, directly challenging the romantic sensibilities of earlier writers like James Fenimore Cooper. The novel is frequently analyzed for Howells's authorial philosophy, which he further elaborated in works like Criticism and Fiction, advocating for fiction that treated the "smiling aspects of life" as truly representative of American experience.

Themes and analysis

Central to the novel is the examination of post-Civil War American identity, exploring themes of marriage, tourism, and national character through the lens of the Grand Tour. Howells uses the journey to contrast the raw majesty of natural sites like Niagara Falls with the burgeoning industrialization and commercialism that packaged them for tourist consumption. The relationship between Basil and Isabel March serves as a microcosm of modern companionship, characterized by egalitarian dialogue and shared curiosity, differing markedly from the passionate, conflict-driven marriages in novels by Nathaniel Hawthorne or the Brontë family. The narrative also engages with cultural comparisons, particularly between the United States and Canada, and observes the nascent American middle class at leisure, a subject Howells would master in his so-called "novels of manners."

Adaptations

While Their Wedding Journey has not been adapted for film or television to the extent of more plot-driven novels, its influence is felt in the broader genre of travel-based narrative fiction. The episodic structure and focus on marital dynamics can be seen as a precursor to later literary works and films centered on journeys, such as those by John Updike. The characters of Basil and Isabel March reappear in several of Howells's subsequent novels, effectively creating a series, most notably in A Hazard of New Fortunes and *Their Silver Wedding Journey*, which follows the couple decades later on a trip to Europe. This recurrence allows for an extended, serialized adaptation of their lives across Howells's literary universe.

Category:1871 American novels Category:American travel books Category:Novels by William Dean Howells Category:Novels set in Canada Category:Novels set in New York (state)