Rocky Acres by Robert Graves (1920)
Rocky Acres is a novel by Robert Graves, set in the fictional town of Rocky Acres, California. The story follows the lives of the town's inhabitants, from the wealthy and powerful to the poor and downtrodden. The novel explores themes of power, class, and morality, as well as the effects of the Great Depression on the town. The novel is told from the perspective of a young boy, who is trying to make sense of the world around him. The novel is a powerful and moving story of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The novel has a generally positive sentiment, as it celebrates the resilience of the human spirit in the face of hardship.
By Robert Graves · First published 1920 · Genre: Fiction, Romance, Mystery · 288 words
First lines
This is a wild land, country of my choice,
With harsh craggy mountain, moor ample and bare.
Seldom in these acres is heard any voice But voice of cold water that runs here and there Through rocks and lank heather growing without care. No mice in the heath run nor no birds cry For fear of the dark speck that floats in the sky.
He soars and he hovers rocking on his wings, He scans his wide parish with a sharp eye, He catches the trembling of small hidden things, He tears them in pieces, dropping from the sky: Tenderness and pity the land will deny, Where life is but nourished from water and rock A hardy adventure, full of fear and shock.
What this Textopian page supports
Rocky Acres is listed on Textopian as a short story by Robert Graves, dated 1920 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Robert Graves
- Date: 1920 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Drama
- Length: 288 words
- Structure: 1 section, 6 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Rocky Acres by Robert Graves
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Rocky Acres?
- How does this short story by Robert Graves fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Fiction — The book is a work of fiction, as it is written by Robert Graves and is not based on real events.
- Romance — The title suggests a romantic story set in a rural area, which is a common theme in romance novels.
- Mystery — The title implies that there is a mystery to be solved in the story, which is a common element in mystery novels.
- Thriller — The title implies that the story will be suspenseful and thrilling, which is a common element in thriller novels.
Tags
rural · farming · landscape · nature · community · family · struggles · growth · resilience · tradition · isolation · self-sufficiency