Project Gutenberg 1997-04-01 Public domain in the USA. 1698 Davis, Rebecca Harding 1831 1910 Davis, R. H. (Rebecca Harding) Life in the Iron-Mills; Or, The Korl Woman First published in The Atlantic Monthly, April 1861. Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_in_the_Iron_Mills Produced by an Anonymous Volunteer and David Widger "Life in the Iron-Mills; Or, The Korl Woman" by Rebecca Harding Davis is a novella that provides a poignant exploration of the lives of working-class individuals in the industrial era, specifically during the late 19th century. Written in a time marked by significant social change and the rise of industrialization, the book centers around the struggles faced by laborers in an oppressive manufacturing environment. The narrative grapples with themes of poverty, identity, and the yearning for beauty in a grim reality, ultimately posing questions about societal structure and human dignity. The story follows Hugh Wolfe, a furnace-tender in an iron mill, who is deeply frustrated by his squalid existence and the limitations imposed on him by society. Alongside him is his cousin, Deborah, portrayed as a hunchbacked picker in the cotton mills, who strives to care for both her family and Hugh. Their lives are filled with a sense of hopelessness, marked by labor, deprivation, and a longing for something greater—something beautiful. As Hugh molds figures from the korl (the waste product of iron production), he expresses, through art, the deep desires and aspirations that remain stifled within him. The climax of the story points to a tragic choice Hugh makes, culminating in a series of events that reflect the broader struggles of the working class, ultimately leading to his incarceration. The narrative serves as a stark reflection on the human condition, illustrating the crux of existential despair and the search for meaning amidst relentless hardship. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 82.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Women iron and steel workers -- Fiction Feminism -- Fiction PS Text Category: Novels Category: American Literature 121967 2025-08-01T07:38:58.638592 text/html 121318 2021-01-27T23:36:31 text/html; charset=utf-8 44060 2021-01-27T23:36:31 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 127627 2025-08-01T07:39:04.313551 application/epub+zip 127939 2025-08-01T07:39:01.659564 application/epub+zip 106586 2025-08-01T07:39:00.532585 application/epub+zip 264326 2025-08-01T07:39:06.253568 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 255947 2025-08-01T07:39:03.603583 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 225509 2022-09-01T08:32:28.391319 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 104222 2025-08-01T07:38:58.348606 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 103970 2018-03-04T14:32:50 text/plain; charset=utf-8 41711 2018-03-19T11:22:44 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 103098 2008-07-27T18:45:54 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 41547 2008-07-27T18:47:04 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20925 2025-08-01T07:39:06.382536 application/rdf+xml 15674 2025-08-01T07:39:01.032591 image/jpeg 3726 2025-08-01T07:39:00.783570 image/jpeg 125626 2025-08-01T07:38:58.650567 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia