A Country Doctor (1884) by Sarah Orne Jewett is a semi-autobiographical novel set in rural Maine. It follows Nan Prince, an orphaned girl raised by her grandmother and aunt. Inspired by an elderly physician and family friend, Nan develops a deep passion for medicine. Despite societal expectations that women should marry and devote themselves to domestic life, she chooses to pursue a medical career, ultimately rejecting a marriage proposal to become a country doctor. The novel explores themes of female independence, professional ambition, and self-determination, offering a pioneering portrayal of a woman following her vocation in nineteenth-century New England.
