The Miller of Old Church

Name: The Miller of Old Church
Author: Ellen Glasgow

The story revolves around a miller who lives in rural Virginia and his struggles with poverty, morality, and personal relationships. The miller's life is marked by hardship, and he is forced to make difficult choices to provide for his family. Throughout the novel, themes of social class, morality, and the American Dream are explored.

By Ellen Glasgow · First published 1901 · Genre: Southern Gothic, Realism, Historical Fiction · 37 chapters · 140,676 words

First lines

It was past four o'clock on a sunny October day, when a stranger, who had ridden over the "corduroy" road between Applegate and Old Church, dismounted near the cross-roads before the small public house known to its frequenters as Bottom's Ordinary. Standing where the three roads meet at the old turnpike-gate of the county, the square brick building, which had declined through several generations from a chapel into a tavern, had grown at last to resemble the smeared face of a clown under a steeple hat which was worn slightly awry. Originally covered with stucco, the walls had peeled year by year until the dull red of the bricks showed like blotches of paint under a thick coating of powder. Over the wide door two little oblong windows, holding four damaged panes, blinked rakishly from a mat of ivy, which spread from the rotting eaves to the shingled roof, where the slim wooden spire bent under the weight of creeper and innumerable nesting sparrows in spring.

What this Textopian page supports

The Miller of Old Church is listed on Textopian as a novel by Ellen Glasgow, dated 1901 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: Ellen Glasgow
Date: 1901 CE
Language: English
Genres: Southern Gothic, Realism, Historical Fiction, Romance, Social Commentary
Length: 140,676 words
Structure: 37 chapters, 2,663 paragraphs
Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)

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Discussion starters

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Similar titles

Genres

Southern Gothic — Explores themes of decay, social issues, and the grotesque in a Southern setting.
Realism — Depicts everyday life and society with a focus on accurate representation.
Historical Fiction — Set in a specific historical period with attention to historical detail.
Romance — Contains elements of romantic relationships and emotional conflicts.