Buying a Horse

"Buying a Horse" by William Dean Howells is a humorous narrative that falls within the realm of social commentary, written in the late 19th century. The book explores the often comical and perplexing experience of purchasing a horse, reflecting on the complexities and quirks of human nature in the context of buying and dealing with animals. It serves as a critique of both the horse-trading industry and social interactions around trade and trust. The story follows a man's journey as he decides to buy a horse after moving to the countryside, where having one is both desirable and necessary. Initially naive and hopeful, he encounters various characters and dealers, each presenting their own flawed horses and dubious sales tactics. As his quest unfolds, he becomes increasingly cynical and frustrated, learning that purchasing a horse is not just about exchanging money for an animal—it involves navigating a web of deceit, expert jargon, and unexpected disappointment. Ultimately, he does find a horse named Frank, but not without a range of comedic mishaps and lessons learned about trust, ownership, and the nature of desires that reshapes his perspective on horse trading itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

William Dean Howells was an American realist novelist, literary critic, and playwright, nicknamed "The Dean of American Letters". He was particularly known for his tenure as editor of The Atlantic Monthly, as well as for the novels The Rise of Silas Lapham and A Traveler from Altruria, and the Christmas story "Christmas Every Day," which was adapted into a 1996 film of the same name.