William Dean Howells
1
8.2
- proper noun
- /ˈwɪljəm diːn ˈhaʊəlz/
- William Dean Howells served as the editor of The Atlantic Monthly, shaping its editorial direction during his tenure.
Examples
-
William Dean Howells, the editor of The Atlantic who was his lifelong friend and ardent reviewer, would exalt him as "the Lincoln of our literature," and gave him a nickname that another blazing icon of the culture would one day claim: "The King.
Fiction book (2001) -
William Dean Howells was a prominent figure in 19th-century American literature, influencing many writers of his time.
-
William Dean Howells's work is often celebrated for its realistic portrayal of contemporary life.
Surface Forms
Morphology
William + dean + Howells
This is a personal name (a full proper noun) rather than a compositional phrase: knowing the words 'William', 'dean' (or the surname 'Howells') does not allow a learner to infer that this refers to a specific American writer, critic, and editor or his dates. Proper names are lexicalized, language-specific referents whose encyclopedic information is not derivable from their constituent words, so the meaning is not predictable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
William Dean Howells was an American writer and editor who pushed for stories about ordinary people and everyday life. As an editor and friend to many authors, he used his job to publish and support the idea called 'realism', so his name is now linked to that kind of writing.