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The Rise of Silas Lapham
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The Rise of Silas Lapham

novel by Howells
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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History

The Rise of Silas Lapham, the best-known novel of William Dean Howells, published in 1885. The novel recounts the moral dilemma of Colonel Silas Lapham, a newly wealthy, self-made businessman who has climbed over his former partner on the ladder to success. After Lapham moves from Vermont to Boston, his family befriends the Coreys, a Brahmin family in financial difficulties. Tom Corey, the son, appears to return the romantic interest of the Laphams’ younger daughter...

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