The Settlers at Home

"The Settlers at Home" by Harriet Martineau is a novel written in the early 19th century. The story is set in Lincolnshire and centers on the Linacre family, who find themselves facing a calamity as their newly drained land floods due to the destruction of their sea defenses. This struggle for survival intertwines with themes of community conflict, as they contend with hostile locals amidst personal loss and tragedy. At the start of the narrative, we are introduced to the Linacre family living in a once swampy but now cultivated area known as the Levels. The children, Mildred and Oliver, along with their caregiver Ailwin, are left to manage on their own when tragedy strikes, leading to the flooding that threatens their lives and livelihoods. The story paints a vivid picture of their daily struggles, showcasing their resourcefulness and determination, while also highlighting the social tensions they face with hostile neighbors. As the floodwaters rise, the stakes of survival increase, setting the stage for a tale of resilience against both nature and human adversity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Harriet Martineau was an English social theorist. She wrote from a sociological, holistic, religious and feminine angle, translated works by Auguste Comte, and, rarely for a woman writer at the time, earned enough to support herself. The young Princess Victoria enjoyed her work and invited her to her 1838 coronation. Martineau advised "a focus on all [society's] aspects, including key political, religious, and social institutions". She applied thorough analysis to women's status under men. The novelist Margaret Oliphant called her "a born lecturer and politician... less distinctively affected by her sex than perhaps any other, male or female, of her generation."