The Ballingtons

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Published in 1905, The Ballingtons by Frances Squire Potter is a story of turn-of-the-century feminism and its impact upon the main character, Agnes Sydney. It is set in that time-period after the Civil War, within the twilight years of the Victorian Age, before the horrors of the First World War. Agnes stands out as a rebel among aristocrats.

Much of the action of The Ballingtons comes from the friction that Agnes feels living in a society where she is expected to be subservient and quietly happy. Agnes wants instead to be an independent woman, which would mean having ownership of property, with access to money, and the general ability to exercise her own personal agency.

Well received at the time of its publication, the book stands the test of time by illustrating what feminist forebears fought for while highlighting how far women have come, and how much further they may still want to go. Over a century later it is still timely and relevant.

The girl was dressed in white, with no ornament except an old-fashioned Roman sash; but she stood very straight, and her hair had a rebellious wave that showed fire under the brown, and her neck and arms were like flushed marble.