A Modern Instance

: "A Modern Instance" by William Dean Howells is a story set in a small American town in the late 1800s, that looks at how people connect and the rules of society at the time. The main people are Bartley Hubbard, a newspaper editor who wants to get ahead, and Marcia Gaylord, who is the pretty daughter of a lawyer in town; their love story shows the difficulties of love, what society expects, and what people want for themselves. At the beginning, the story shows a picture perfect village between mountains and fields. When Bartley takes Marcia home after an event one cold night, the story shows that they joke and flirt with each other but also have deeper talks about their goals and how they affect each other. The beginning sets up how their wishes will clash with what society thinks is right, which will lead to their surprise engagement and make things more complicated.