Book details
Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story
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Stored record
Metadata
- Gutenberg ID
- 524
- Title
- Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story
- Language
- en
- Book source
- Project Gutenberg
- Description max 80 words
-
A spirited young woman challenges the rigid social conventions of Edwardian England, refusing to compromise her intellect and desires for a loveless, dutiful marriage. Wells crafts a witty, incisive portrait of a woman awakening to her own agency against a backdrop of stifling tradition and paternal authority.
- Summary up to 500 words
-
In H. G. Wells' *Ann Veronica: A Modern Love Story*, the narrative centers on Ann Veronica Stanley, a brilliant twenty-one-year-old science student whose intellectual ambitions are stifled by the rigid expectations of her father, Peter Stanley. A solicitor who views women's education as unseemly, he forbids her from attending university or social events, demanding she remain at home to marry a man she does not love. The story begins with Ann's desperate resolve to confront her father, marking a decisive crisis in her life. The novel explores Ann's disillusionment with her fiancé, Manning, a man who offers a safe but passionless union. Although she initially accepts his chivalrous proposal out of gratitude, she soon realizes she views him merely as a protector rather than a partner. Her heart belongs to Capes, a free-spirited man who treats her as an equal and shares her intellectual interests. Through a series of confrontations, Ann rejects the "wrappered" existence of traditional domesticity, which she describes as a stifling state where women ignore their own thoughts to conform to societal norms. The narrative culminates in a climactic dinner where Ann, now married to Capes, forces her family to accept her new reality. During this event, she observes her father and aunt in a new light, realizing they are not the monolithic figures of authority she once feared but flawed individuals trapped by their own limitations. Despite their initial discomfort and the awkwardness of the situation, the evening ends with a tentative reconciliation. Ann asserts her independence, celebrating the courage required to live authentically. The story serves as a sharp critique of the limited roles available to women in Edwardian society, championing the idea that a woman's worth lies in her intellect and her right to choose her own path, even if it means defying the entire social order.
- LLM editorial rating
- 4.2/5
- Download URL
- https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/524.epub.noimages
- Local file path
-
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People
Authors
- H. G. Wells
Classification
Categories
- Romance
- Feminism
- Social Conditions