Life in the Iron Mills

Published in 1861, 'Life in the Iron Mills' is the debut novella of Rebecca Harding Davis, a notable writer and social reformer. The story follows Hugh Wolfe, a Welsh laborer in an iron mill who possesses artistic talent as a sculptor, and his unrequited love for Deborah, a hunchbacked woman. This work is significant for its early exploration of social issues and its role in the development of literary realism in American literature.