"Shirley" by Charlotte Brontë is a social novel published in 1849. Set in Yorkshire during the industrial depression of 1811-12, the story unfolds against the backdrop of Luddite uprisings in the textile industry. Mill owner Robert Moore faces ruin as he battles labor unrest and economic hardship. His cousin Caroline loves him from afar, but Robert cannot afford to marry. When spirited heiress Shirley enters their lives, she becomes Caroline's close friend—yet Caroline fears Shirley and Robert will unite, threatening her own fragile hopes. (This is an automatically generated summary.)