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Far from fussing over chipped china, the novella goes to the heart of the great American problem of race... This is a provocative subject, and the publisher has provided much useful material for help in understanding it: an introduction (by Paul R. Petrie), footnotes and a sheaf of appendices, including one that links 'An Imperative Duty' to a subgenre of 19th-century fiction: 'The Tragic Mulatta.' There is a big difference between other 'Tragic Mulatta' novels and this one, however: The other writers played the central situation for shock value, whereas Howells made it into art. - Dennis Drabelle, The Washington Post
This is a splendid classroom edition of a historically important yet underappreciated 'passing' novel as powerful as Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson. Published in 1891-92 at the nadir of race relations in the U.S., W. D. Howells's An Imperative Duty framed the debate over racial justice in ways that were remarkably progressive. Paul R. Petrie's introduction, supplemental readings, and critical apparata admirably contextualize the novel for modern readers. - Gary F. Scharnhorst, University of New Mexico
This sympathetic and carefully edited revival of An Imperative Duty should welcome a new generation of readers to Howells's impressive work. With its splendid introduction and meticulously chosen secondary materials, this book will delight general readers and prove a helpful resource to both teachers and scholars. - Susan Goodman, University of Delaware
Paul R. Petrie is Professor of English at Southern Connecticut State University.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
W.D. Howells: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text
An Imperative Duty
Appendix A: Contemporary Reviews and Responses
Appendix B: The Tragic Mulatta in Literature
Appendix C: Interracial Marriage and the Science of Race
Appendix D: Appendix D:W.D. Howells's Theory of Realism-The Editor's Study Columns
Select Bibliography