The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreimer Vintage HC 1st CROWN ED 1968

Originally published under her pseudonym Ralph Iron in 1883, Olive Schreiner's The Story of an African Farm provides an account of colonial life in 19th-century South Africa. The novel uses the omniscient narration style typical of 19th-century Realism but blends elements of a bildungsroman and philosophical fiction in telling the story of cousins Lyndall and Em and their friendship with Waldo, the son of the farm's German overseer. As the children grow older, the novel explores themes of Finding God and Unity in Nature, The Value of Education, and Women's Status in Marriage.

Content Warning: The novel employs racist stereotypes and uses outdated and offensive language to describe South Africa's indigenous peoples, which is replicated in this guide only in explanations or direct quotations. The novel and this guide also discuss death and infant death and refer to suicide.