Margaret Oliphant (1828-1897) was a popular Scottish writer. A widow who became the bread winner for her extended family, she was very prolific and wrote in a wide variety of genres.
In 'He That Will Not When He May', Oliphant explores the rise of working-class movements, and issues of inheritance. Told from the perspective of the upper classes, it is a rather reactionary narrative; but told in an engaging and informative way. There are some delightful characters and scenes that make this a entertaining read, as well as a thought provoking one.
The author also revisits a traditional theme in her work - the roles that society assigns to men and women. Her subtle expressions of frustration hint at a support for some (limited) social realignment between the sexes, if not between the classes.
The source was a PDF file at the Internet Archive.
It has been read through to correct OCR errors, please let me know if any further errors are spotted.
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