With an Introduction and Notes by Dinny Thorold, University of Westminster
Gaskell's last novel, widely considered her masterpiece, follows the fortunes of two families in nineteenth century rural England. At its core are family relationships - father, daughter and step-mother, father and sons, father and step-daughter - all tested and strained by the romantic entanglements that ensue.
Despite its underlying seriousness, the prevailing tone is one of comedy. Gaskell vividly portrays the world of the late 1820s and the forces of change within it, and her vision is always humane and progressive.
The story is full of acute observation and sympathetic character-study: the feudal squire clinging to old values, his naturalist son welcoming the new world of science, the local doctor and his scheming second wife, the two girls brought together by their parent's marriage…
| ISBN: | 9781840224160 |
| Publication date: | 5th November 1999 |
| Author: | Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell |
| Publisher: | Wordsworth Editions an imprint of Wordsworth Editions Ltd |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 624 pages |
| Series: | Wordsworth Classics |
| Genres: |
Classic fiction: general and literary |