The Voice of the People

The Voice of the People is a novel by Ellen Glasgow, first published in 1900. Set in the rural South during the late 19th century, the book follows the lives of a group of characters who are struggling to adapt to the changes brought about by industrialization and modernization.At the center of the story is Dorinda Oakley, a young woman who is determined to escape the limitations of her small town and make a name for herself in the world. Along the way, she encounters a cast of colorful characters, including her father, a wealthy landowner who is resistant to change; her cousin, who is torn between his love for Dorinda and his loyalty to his family; and a group of poor farmers who are fighting to keep their land from being taken over by the railroad.As the story unfolds, Glasgow explores themes of class, gender, and power, and offers a nuanced portrayal of the tensions and conflicts that arise when traditional ways of life collide with the forces of progress and modernity. Through her vivid descriptions of the landscape and the people who inhabit it, Glasgow captures the essence of a rapidly changing South, and offers a compelling portrait of a society in transition.1900. Glasgow's realistic fiction novels often showed the female characters as stronger than the male characters. It was this new type of Southern fiction that made Ellen Glasgow one of the major writers of her time. The vantage point from which most of her nineteen novels were written was her native home of Richmond, Virginia. She received the Pulitzer prize in 1942. The book begins: The last day of Circuit Court was over at Kingsborough. The Jury had vanished from the semicircle of straight-backed chairs in the old courthouse, the clerk had laid aside his pen along with his air of listless attention, and the judge was making his way through the straggling spectators to the sunken stone steps of the platform outside. As the crowd in the doorway parted slightly, a breeze passed into the room, scattering the odors of bad tobacco and farm-stained clothing. The sound of a cowbell came through one of the small windows, from the green beyond, where a red-and-white cow was browsing among the buttercups. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.