The modern epoch of American fiction begins with the close of the Civil War, and henceforth romance writers and novelists multiplied rapidly. The post-Civil War writers, thoSe whose repu tations were established' prior to 1880 and after 1865, are meagre in numbers compared with those who became popular during the last 20 years of the 19th century. Of the writers who arose in the latter period, four names naturally come to mind— William Dean Howells, Thomas Bailey Aldrich, Bret Harte and Henry James the younger. Their names are here given in the chronological order of their appearance be fore the public. Mr. Howells, who through his facility as a writer and his ability to adapt himself to many varied forms of composition — the novel, the essay, the poem and the play— has practically become the most distinguished, if not the greatest American man of letters, be gan his apprenticeship in the exacting field of journalism with a strong tendency toward the romantic school. After thepublication of 'A Chance Acquaintance' (1874), he turned his attention to the making of realistic novels, and it was not long before he was accepted as the exponent of a distinctive school of American fiction whose claim is its dictum that the commonplace and generally ignored facts of life shall form the true province of the novelist. His books written in pursuance of this method followed one another in rapid succession, the most notable of them being 'A Foregone Con clusion,' 'A Modern Instance,"The Rise of Silas Lapham,) 'The Minister's Charge,' 'April Hopes' and 'A Hazard of New Fortunes.' Although Mr. Howells has been extraordinarily active in all phases of literary work, it is dis tinctly as a °realistic') novelist that he is now known and will be remembered by posterity. As Mr. Howells is the exploiter of a theory in fiction, so Bret Harte was the discoverer and creator for literary purposes of an undiscovered country, the California of 1849. He was pre eminently a short story writer, and it needs only a knowledge of 'The Luck of Roaring Camp,' Pardner,) of (Muis0 and a hun dred more of his tales to realize how thoroughly his art was restricted and how its very perfec tion made it impossible for him to succeed with 'Gabriel Conroy,' and the other long novels he attempted. Thomas Bailey Aldrich, singularly enough, became a novel writer through the vogue of a juvenile tale, 'The Story of a Bad Boy,' published in 1869, after serial appearance in a monthly magazine. Mr. Aldrich also pub lished 'Prudence Palfrey,' 'The Stillwater Tragedy,' and many volumes of short stories. Although Henry James, Jr., resided in England for many years, he still held his position as an American author of unique style and genius. He made no bid for popularity, being content to express his own individuality and thought, and to expound his philosophic views of liter ature and life to a public which is able to understand and appreciate such novels as 'The American,' 'Daisy Miller,' (The Bostonians" and 'The Tragic Muse.' Although Edward Everett Hale and Thomas Wentworth Higgin son antedate the foregoing writers by almost a score of years, they practically belong to the same literary epoch, for it is since the Civil War that they have contributed liberally to the supply of American fiction, mainly in the form of short stories. For 20 years or more E. P. Roe's name was held high in the esteem of a large class of fiction readers who 'delighted in the placid commonplaces of (The Opening of a Chestnut Burr,' and its companion tales, hut his repute was ephemeral and he is now almost forgotten. With the mention of Frank R. Stockton, who wrote The Lady or the Tiger,' Edward Eggleston, George W. Cable, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Joel Chandler Harris, Francis Marion Crawford, Albion W. Tourgee, Lew Wallace (whose 'Ben Hur) became immediately popular upon its publication in 1881), Hamlin Garland, Harold Frederic and Sarah Orne Jewett, the story of American fiction is brought down to a time when the beginnings of present day reputations may be remembered by the reader of to-day. Of Mark Twain and his work
much could be said, for his years were productive of famous novels: 'The Prince and the Pauper,' 'Jeanne D'Arc,' (Pud'nhead Wil son,' Sawyer,' and his other classics of American humor rank him among the great lit erary figures of the present era.
With the exception of Howells, Wallace, Mark Twain and one or two others, the first 80 years of our fiction is concerned wholly with writers native to the eastern and the southern portions of the United States. But toward the close of the 19th century the western country began to develop writers of fiction such as Owen Fister. About the same time Mary K Wilkins arose in the East, and James Lane Allen in the South, and each has gained no little reputation for the skilful man ner in which he has set down the mingled characteristics of his own locality. Miss Wil kins has brought the short story into,high es tate through her picturesque handling of com monplace incidents and through her delinea tions of New England character, while Mr. Allen has been especially adept in his analysis of the human soul. Hopkinson Smith also sounds a distinctively American note. The numerous novels written by Julian Hawthorne show the influence of heredity, and it is alto gether likely that the son of Nathaniel Haw thorne might have made a higher position for himself in his chosen profession had he not been obliged to remain in the shadow of his father's great reputation. Frances Hodgson Burnett, although of English birth, may be ranked, through her long residence in this country, as an American author. 'That Lass o' Lowrie's,"A Lady of Quality' and the juvenile 'Little Lord Fauntleroy,' are evidence that she is not lacking at least in exceptional versatility. In 'The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains,"In the Clouds' and other volumes of lengthy novels and short stories, Mary N. Murfree (Charles Egbert Craddock) has made herself the historian of the Tennessee mountain region. In 1888 Margaret Deland's (John Ward, Preacher,' attracted wide atten tion to a writer, the excellence of whose work has ever since been kept at high standard. Robert Grant, with his 'Confessions of a Frivolous Girl' and (UnleaVened Bread,' may be called the novelist of the social East and Henry Harland, although his long residence in England has caused him to lose something of his American identity" is well known tet joch fantastic stories as 'The Cardinal's Snuff box' and 'The Lady Paramount.' Paul Leicester Ford, historian and bibliographer, wrote 'The Honorable Peter Stirling,' an artistic novel of political life notable from every point of view and 'Janice Meredith,' a popular flamboyant novel. As a writer of animal tales Ernest Thompson Seaton has become popular and Bliss Carman, as a poet of the poets, has won a high place for himself.
The modern extravagant vogue of the his torical novel has been stimulated and fostered, especially by Mary Johnson and Winston Churchill. In the late nineties Booth Tarking ton achieved a veritable tour de force with a remarkable little story called 'Monsieur Beau. caire." The story of American fiction may fit tingly be brought to a close with the name of Edith Wharton, whose genius as expressed in The Touchstone,' 'The Greater Inclination? and 'The Valley of Decision,' gives her unp questioned place among modern novelists. See AMERICAN LITERATURE.
Bibliography.—Abernethy, 'American Fic tion' (1902); Bates, 'American Literature' (1896) • Beers, 'A Century of American Litera ture' (1878) ; Howells, 'Literary Friends and Acquaintances' (1901); Matthews, 'Aspects of Fiction' (1896) • Richardson, 'American Litera ture' (1889) ; 'Sears, 'American Literature in the Colonial and National Periods' (1902) ; Tyler, 'History of American Literature' (1897) ; Wendell, 'A Literary History of America' (1901).