Answer:
William Dean Howells was an American writer who was a representative of the realism movement. His work is characterized by criticizing social injustices and violence, as well as imperialism and the Spanish war. By knowing this, it is easier to understand “Editha”, which is a story that talks about a girl that believes in war while her fiancée does not. This feeling of “patriotism” leads him to premature death. In this story, the author expresses his strong opposition to war and to those who agree with it.