{"product_id":"9781411433700","title":"The Rise of Silas Lapham (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003ci\u003eThe Rise of Silas Lapham\u003c\/i\u003e, by\u003cb\u003e William Dean Howells\u003c\/b\u003e, is part of the \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works. After the Civil War, rapid industrialization created a new crop of American multimillionaires. Although as wealthy as the “aristocrats” of Boston and New York, the \u003ci\u003enouveaux riches \u003c\/i\u003ewere rejected by those arrogant guardians of traditional society because of their “uneducated” tastes and uncouth styles. This class conflict is at the core of \u003ci\u003eThe Rise of Silas Lapham\u003c\/i\u003e, one of the first American novels of manners, one of the first to look at the American businessman and self-made millionaire, and one of the first to employ realism—a style that would come to dominate twentieth-century American fiction.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eA devoted husband and father, fairly decent employer, and mostly honest businessman, Silas Lapham has used his father’s small paint company to amass a large fortune. But he yearns to “enter society” and for his two daughters, Penelope and Irene, to marry well. However, blue-blooded Tom Corey’s love for one of the Lapham daughters is thwarted by his mother, who believes Penelope is an overly independent social climber. Meanwhile, Silas’s efforts to be accepted by the Boston Brahmins lead him into dangerous financial waters that threaten to drown his business and swallow his family. \u003cb\u003eMorris Dickstein \u003c\/b\u003eis Distinguished Professor of English at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a senior fellow of the Center for the Humanities, which he founded. His latest book is a collection of essays, \u003ci\u003eA Mirror in the Roadway: Literature and the Real World\u003c\/i\u003e. He is completing a cultural history of the United States in the 1930s.","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47121654972656,"sku":"9781411433700","price":3.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781411433700_p0.jpg?v=1763722740","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781411433700","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}