The Marriage of Elinor

"The Marriage of Elinor" by Mrs. Oliphant is a story from the 1800s that begins with a lawyer named John Tatham learning his cousin, Elinor, wants to marry a man he doesn't know anything about. The book looks at ideas of love, what society expects, and how tricky relationships can be, focusing on John's mixed-up feelings about who Elinor wants to be with. When John gets a worried letter from his aunt about Elinor's love interest, it makes him think hard about his own beliefs and what he should do. As John goes through his day, the letter makes him question everything, leading to negative thoughts about romance mixed with surprising emotional upset. The story shows how much John cares for Elinor, seeing her as better than typical love stories, while also showing Elinor's strong will and her readiness to stand up against disapproval of those she loves; as John thinks about what he owes Elinor, while starting to doubt her chosen partner, the story hints at problems between people and within themselves that will develop as the story continues.