Virginia - by Ellen Glasgow

Virginia - by Ellen Glasgow

Ellen Glasgow was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1873 and lived most of her life there. She won the Pulitzer Prize for literature in 1942 for her novel In This Our Life, although it is sometimes suggested that the Prize was more of a lifetime achievement award than specifically for In This Our Life. Bette Davis starred in the movie version of this novel and gave a wonderful performance.

Virginia begins in 1884 when Virginia, the title character, is 20 years old. The story is set in Dinwiddie, Virginia and chronicles Virginia's life through her marriage to Oliver, the births and illnesses of her children, into middle age. Virginia's life coincides with a time of great change, particularly in the lives of women, who move from being dependent females to emerging independence. Virginia is unable to change with the times.

This novel is part of Glasgow's social chronicle of life in the Commonwealth of Virginia, beginning before the Civil War and moving into the twentieth century, showing societal changes brought about by the Civil War and Reconstruction.