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How William Dean Howells Uses Realism in "Editha" to Critique American Values

In this essay on William Dean Howell's "Editha," the student explains how it represents the tradition of literary realism. The student also notes Howells' use of humor to critique jingoism and the naivete of American militarism within a character-centered story.
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This essay received a B by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

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This essay received a B by one of Kibin's paper graders. Click here to see what was done well and what needs improvement.

More essays like this:

Not sure what I'd do without @Kibin
- Alfredo Alvarez, student @ Miami University
Exactly what I needed.
- Jenna Kraig, student @ UCLA
Wow. Most helpful essay resource ever!
- Chris Stochs, student @ UC Berkeley

View other essays like this one:

Bridget's feedback:

"Your work with Howells' text comes through in the wealth of material and evidence you've used in shaping this current draft. There is, however, a lot for the reader to digest, particularly in the task of moving back and forth between quoted text and the existing syntax. I recommend going through each quotation, one at time, to determine if it represents the most efficient use of evidence. While all appear relevant, they may not all enhance the discussion (e.g., the quotation that reiterates that George is dead). Watch out for moments where your commentary and the quotation overlap to create redundancies, and similarly, look for redundancies in the argumentation itself. For example, on the last page, you describe Mrs. Gearson's speech to Editha twice: perhaps those can be collapsed into a more efficient single moment. Other ways to guide the reader will include other revisions for more purposeful movement through the discussion: in your introduction, you move from post-WWI (disillusionment, and of questionable relevancy considering the publication date of the story) to the nineteenth century (realism): transitional and signposting language should help the reader follow this.

In terms of lower-order concerns, proofread for occasional errors, including typos, missing words, and incorrect verb tense (e.g., "has written" should be "wrote")."

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