Elsie Venner

Published in 1861, 'Elsie Venner' is a novel by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. that follows Bernard Langdon, a medical student who leaves Boston to teach in a village after financial troubles. He becomes intrigued by his student, Elsie Venner, a peculiar girl who is shunned by her peers. This work is part of Holmes' 'medicated novels' and explores a medical condition through its narrative, featuring strong Boston local color and coining the term 'Boston Brahmin.'