A Noble Life

In Dinah Maria Mulock Craik's 'A Noble Life', the last Earl of Cairnforth is born severely disabled, yet with an affectionate nature and precocious intellect, he embarks on a life's adventure full of love, friendship, and wise business decisions. Set in a charming Scottish locale with industrious tenants and a religious minister as his tutor, this novel questions the basic assumptions of nobility and power, evidencing the hallmarks of mid-century intellectualism that led to significant social transformation in England's history. Despite being overshadowed by other writers of the mid-Victorian period, Craik's novel still stimulates intellectual introspection and provides a populist vision of key social issues.