Rebecca Harding Davis, ‘Life in the Iron Mills’ (1861)

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Rebecca
HardingDavis,
‘LifeintheIron
Mills’(1861)
“Acloudyday:doyouknowwhatthatisina
townofiron-works?Theskysankdownbefore
dawn,muddy,flat,immovable.Theairisthick,
clammywiththebreathofcrowdedhuman
beings.ItsMflesme.Iopenthewindow,and,
lookingout,canscarcelyseethroughtherain
thegrocer'sshopopposite,whereacrowdof
drunkenIrishmenarepuffingLynchburg
tobaccointheirpipes.”
“Acloudyday:doyouknowwhatthatisina
townofiron-works?Theskysankdownbefore
dawn,muddy,flat,immovable.Theairisthick,
clammywiththebreathofcrowdedhuman
beings.ItsMflesme.Iopenthewindow,and,
lookingout,canscarcelyseethroughtherain
thegrocer'sshopopposite,whereacrowdof
drunkenIrishmenarepuffingLynchburg
tobaccointheirpipes.”
IndustrialRevoluMon(s)
Longperiodfrom1790sto1860s
à ButheightenedaVertheWarof1812
à Movefromimportertoproducereconomy
Centralcomponents:
• TransportaMonnetworks
• Harnessingofpaleotechnologies(coal,gas,oil)
• RaMonalizaMon
“Acloudyday:doyouknowwhatthatisina
townofiron-works?Theskysankdownbefore
dawn,muddy,flat,immovable.Theairisthick,
clammywiththebreathofcrowdedhuman
beings.ItsMflesme.Iopenthewindow,and,
lookingout,canscarcelyseethroughtherain
thegrocer'sshopopposite,whereacrowdof
drunkenIrishmenarepuffingLynchburg
tobaccointheirpipes.”
ImmigraMontothe
UnitedStates
Twomainphases:
1.  1790s-1870s:mainlyfrom
WesternEurope
2.  1870s-1920s:mainlyfrom
EasternandSouthernEurope
WorkersdrivetheindustrialrevoluMon
Immigrants=cheaplabour!moreprofit!biggercorporaMons!need
formorelabour!needformoreimmigrants...
“Massesofmen,withdull,beso`edfaces
benttotheground,sharpenedhereand
therebypainorcunning;skinandmuscle
andfleshbegrimedwithsmokeand
ashes;stoopingallnightoverboiling
caldronsofmetal,lairedbydayindensof
drunkennessandinfamy;breathingfrom
infancytodeathanairsaturatedwithfog
andgreaseandsoot,vilenessforsouland
body…”
“Massesofmen,withdull,beso`edfaces
benttotheground,sharpenedhereand
therebypainorcunning;skinandmuscle
andfleshbegrimedwithsmokeand
ashes;stoopingallnightoverboiling
caldronsofmetal,lairedbydayindensof
drunkennessandinfamy;breathingfrom
infancytodeathanairsaturatedwithfog
andgreaseandsoot,vilenessforsouland
body…”
Ageofreform
KarlMarx
•  TheCommunistManifesto(1848)
•  JournalismfortheNewYorkTribune(1850s-60s)
CharlesFourier
•  Utopiansocialism
•  BrookFarm,Massachuse`s(1840s)
Unionmovement
•  NaMonalLaborUnion(1866)
•  KnightsofLabor(1869)
AgeofReform(conMnued):
TheaboliMonistmovement
‘Wageslavery’andanalogiesofsubservience
“Forheinallcountriesisaslave,whomustworkmorefor
anotherthanthatothermustworkforhim.Itdoesnotma9er
howthisstateofthingsisbroughtabout;whethertheswordof
victoryhewdownthelibertyofthecap?ve,andthuscompel
himtolaborforhisconqueror,orwhethertheswordofwant
extortourconsent,asitwere,toavoluntaryslavery,througha
denialtousofthematerialsofnature…”
ThomasSkidmore,founderoftheWorkingman’sPartyofNew
York
“Fromtheback-windowIcanseeanarrow
brick-yardslopingdowntotheriver-side,
strewedwithrain-bu`sandtubs.Theriver,
dullandtawny-colored,(labelleriviere!)
dragsitselfsluggishlyalong,Mredofthe
heavyweightofboatsandcoal-barges.What
wonder?WhenIwasachild,Iusedtofancya
lookofweary,dumbappealuponthefaceof
thenegro-likeriverslavishlybearingits
burdendayaVerday.”
“Fromtheback-windowIcanseeanarrow
brick-yardslopingdowntotheriver-side,
strewedwithrain-bu`sandtubs.Theriver,
dullandtawny-colored,(labelleriviere!)
dragsitselfsluggishlyalong,Mredofthe
heavyweightofboatsandcoal-barges.What
wonder?WhenIwasachild,Iusedtofancya
lookofweary,dumbappealuponthefaceof
thenegro-likeriverslavishlybearingits
burdendayaVerday.”
SlavenarraMves:
•  Reformistliterature
•  Addressedtomiddle-class
readers
•  Genericallymixed
TheGenresof‘LifeintheIronMills’
SenMmentalism:
EmoMons,notraMonal
reflecMon,thesourceof
morality
RomanMcism:
Intensepersonaland
emoMonalfeelingsgiverise
toaestheMcsense;nature
andthe‘folk’central
“Deeperyetifonecould
look,wastherenothing
worthreadinginthis
wet,fadedthing,halfcoveredwithashes?no
storyofasoulfilledwith
gropingpassionatelove,
heroicunselfishness,
fiercejealousy?”
WhatistheKorlwoman?
TheGenresof‘LifeintheIronMills’
Realism:
•  Emergesaround1860sinUSwriMng
•  ReacMontosenMmental/romanMctradiMon
•  RejectsarMficialconvenMonsandpolarisedmoral
worldview
•  Addressescontemporaryreality–industrial,
modernworld–ratherthanhistoricalor
fantasMcalsubjects
DavisonRomanMcwriters:“Whiletheythought
theywereguidingtherealworld,theystoodquite
outsideit,andneverwouldseeitasitwas.”
“Thereisacuriouspointforyoutose`le,
myfriend,whostudypsychologyinalazy,
dile`anteway.Stopamoment.Iamgoing
tobehonest.ThisiswhatIwantyouto
do.Iwantyoutohideyourdisgust,take
noheedtoyourcleanclothes,andcome
rightdownwithme,—here,intothe
thickestofthefogandmudandfoul
effluvia.Iwantyoutohearthisstory…I
wanttomakeitarealthingtoyou.”
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