Sybil (1845) by future Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli is a politically-charged novel that recounts a series of fictionalized events surrounding the so-called "Chartist movement." The Chartist movement was a working-class initiative during the middle of the nineteenth century. The historical movement ultimately failed to gain Parliamentary support because (as evidenced in the novel) there was significant diversity and factionalism within proponents of the cause. The movement was called "Chartism" because it prompted Parliamentary recognition of a "People's Charter," a petition that appears in the novel as advocating for 1) universal suffrage, 2) ballot voting, 3) annual parliaments, 4) a salary for Parliament members, and 5) the abolition of the property qualification for voting.

The protagonist of Disraeli's novel is Egremont, who styles himself as one "Franklin" and goes undercover to join the cause of the working classes. Egremont is disillusioned with disparity between England's aristocracy and laborers. He falls in love with the title character, Sybil (whom he eventually marries), who is the daughter of another reformer. His brother is Lord Marley, and Lord Marley prefers that Egremont marries a Lady Joan, heir to the Mowbray estate.

Sybil, like her father, is very reform-minded. She believes in moral power and advocates for more peaceful reform than her suitor, Morley. Though she does not know it until later in the novel, she becomes heir to the Mowbray estate when her father dies. She is beautiful, and several of the male characters entertain thoughts of marrying her.

Stephen Morley is one of Sybil's suitors. He is recognized as smart man, a good student, and a skilled writer. However, he is a radical reformer, and Sibyl distrusts his plans. Morley is desperate for the affections of the beautiful and coveted Sybil, to whom he professes his love while also alerting her to her father's dangerous political predicament. Morley is eventually killed in a battle against the Earl of Marney (whose younger brother is Charles Egremont).

Gerard is Sybil's father. He is the allegedly heir to the Mowbray estate, but the proof of this is locked up in Mowbray Castle. He is a radical reformer who addresses Parliament alongside Morley to advocate for the "People's Charter." Ultimately, however, this petition fails. Gerard is alternately imprisoned and celebrated by the people of Mowbray (a large factory town). He dies as a result of the novel's closing fight between Lord Marney and Egremont's militia.