The Whole Family: A Novel (1908)

by William Dean Howells

Other authors: Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews (Contributor), John Kendrick Bangs (Contributor), Alice Brown (Contributor), Mary Stewart Cutting (Contributor), Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (Contributor) — 5 more, Henry James (Contributor), Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (Contributor), Henry Van Dyke (Contributor), Mary Heaton Vorse (Contributor), Edith Wyatt (Contributor)

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Classic Literature. Fiction. Literary Anthologies. HTML: The collaborative efforts of twelve different authors writing a chapter each, The Whole Family is a 1908 novel conceived of by writer William Dean Howells and directed by Elizabeth Jordan, the editor Harper's Bazaar at the time. Howells' wished to explore how an entire family might both affect and be affected by a marriage. The narrative became somewhat of a mirror for the at-times contentious relationships between its various authors. The chapters and their authors are: The Father by William Dean Howells The Old-Maid Aunt by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman The Grandmother by Mary Heaton Vorse The Daughter-in-Law by Mary Stewart Cutting The School-Girl by Elizabeth Jordan The Son-in-Law by John Kendrick Bangs The Married Son by Henry James The Married Daughter by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps The Mother by Edith Wyatt The School-Boy by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews Peggy by Alice Brown The Friend of the Family by Henry Van Dyke .… (more)

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If you're a big fan of 19th century American writers then this book is for you. Each chapter is written by a different author -- Henry James, William Dean Howells, Mary Wilkins Freeman, Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, to name a few. The story the writers collaboratively tell is a typical, 19th century, family-centered marriage plot. But as you read on, you realize the story is about fiction itself -- what is acceptable & what must be suppressed. The way some writers craft their chapters in response to previous ones becomes an absorbing plot in itself. I'd wholeheartedly recommend this to hardcore fans of the era and/or genre. (

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susanbooks | Feb 1, 2015 |

This very amusing book was a project of W.D. Howells who wrote the first chapter and passed it on to 11 of his colleagues (including Henry James,no less). (

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markbstephenson | Jun 2, 2010 |

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Author name	Role	Type of author	Work?	Status
Howells, William Dean	—	primary author	all editions	confirmed
Andrews, Mary Raymond Shipman	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Bangs, John Kendrick	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Brown, Alice	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Cutting, Mary Stewart	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Freeman, Mary Eleanor Wilkins	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
James, Henry	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Van Dyke, Henry	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Vorse, Mary Heaton	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Wyatt, Edith	Contributor	secondary author	all editions	confirmed
Bendixen, Alfred	Introduction	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Howard, June	Foreword	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Jordan, Elizabeth	Editor	secondary author	some editions	confirmed
Stephens, Allice Barber	Illustrator	secondary author	some editions	confirmed

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The Whole Family: A Novel

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1908

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Alfred Bendixen

Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews

The Whole Family

▾Book descriptions

Classic Literature. Fiction. Literary Anthologies. HTML:

The collaborative efforts of twelve different authors writing a chapter each, The Whole Family is a 1908 novel conceived of by writer William Dean Howells and directed by Elizabeth Jordan, the editor Harper's Bazaar at the time. Howells' wished to explore how an entire family might both affect and be affected by a marriage. The narrative became somewhat of a mirror for the at-times contentious relationships between its various authors. The chapters and their authors are:

The Father by William Dean Howells
The Old-Maid Aunt by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
The Grandmother by Mary Heaton Vorse
The Daughter-in-Law by Mary Stewart Cutting
The School-Girl by Elizabeth Jordan
The Son-in-Law by John Kendrick Bangs
The Married Son by Henry James
The Married Daughter by Elizabeth Stuart Phelps
The Mother by Edith Wyatt
The School-Boy by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
Peggy by Alice Brown
The Friend of the Family by Henry Van Dyke