The Novels of Harold Frederic

Author

George A. Small

Publication Date

5-19-1952

Abstract

I do not intend to defend the obviously untenable thesis that Frederic was a great writer and is not appreciated because of the nature of his subject matter. The author of The Damnation of Theron Ware seldom shows any sign of genius. What Frederic does, and often in a rather workmanlike manner, is tell a story of small-town and country people in upper New York state. In his early works, Seth's Brother's Wife and The Lawton Girl, the author writes about things he knows and has done. The works written about the same time as the two mentioned have a delightful simplicity and naïveté, and incidentally come very close to the realistic tradition in the novel. The majority of Frederic's later works are tinged with a pseudo-sophistication, an artiness which just does not belong, and these elements detract from such an otherwise good thing as The Damnation of Theron Ware.

Degree Name

English

Level of Degree

Masters

Department Name

English

First Committee Member (Chair)

George Warren Arms

Second Committee Member

Ernest Warnock Tedlock Jr

Third Committee Member

Archie J. Bahm

Language

English

Document Type

Thesis

Recommended Citation

Small, George A.. "The Novels of Harold Frederic." (1952). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/engl_etds/205