When John Barton's wife dies, he is forced to raise his daughter, Mary, alone, while he grieves the love of his life. Though he is a hard-working man, John struggles to provide for his family. Realizing how unfair his financial situation is, John becomes very resentful towards the unethical distribution of wealth between the social classes. Against John's wishes, when Mary comes of age, she decides to help support their family by working in a dressmaking...

When Paul Manning begins working as an engineer clerk for the railroad, he decides to move in with his mother's family on their farm. There, he is able to be closer to his job as the railroad paves the way for further industrialization of rural areas. While Paul is advancing in his career and settling in his new home, his attention is held by his cousin, Phillis. Paul and Phillis become quick friends and confidants. Worried for her, Paul keeps a close...

Lady Ludlow is a complex and fascinating character, who embodies the contradictions and tensions of her time. On the one hand, she is a deeply traditional and conservative figure, who believes in the strict hierarchy and social codes of her class. On the other hand, she is also a compassionate and caring woman, who is committed to helping the poor and vulnerable members of her community. As the story unfolds, Lady Ludlow becomes embroiled in a series...

There is one characteristic of Robert Griffiths which I have omitted to note, and which was peculiar among his class. He was no hard drinker; whether it was that his head was easily affected, or that his partially-refined taste led him to dislike intoxication and its attendant circumstances, I cannot say; but at five-and-twenty Robert Griffiths was habitually sober-a thing so rare in Llyn, that he was almost shunned as a churlish, unsociable being,...

A writer of remarkably diverse talents, Elizabeth Gaskell produced fiction and non-fiction ranging from short stories that offered detailed cross-sections of Victorian life and society to a well-regarded biography of author Charlotte Bronte. The novel A Dark Night's Work is the engrossing apogee of Gaskell's foray into Gothic ghost stories and tales of horror. Fans of these genres won't be disappointed. As part of our mission to publish great works...

This is the first volume of Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell's 1957 biography of Charlotte Brontë, "Charlotte Brontë - A Monograph". The first biography of this seminal literary figure ever written, this volume provides a fantastic and unique insight into Charlotte's life and mind, making it a must-read for fans of her work and those with an interest in literary history. Emily Jane Brontë (1818 – 1848), also known under the pseudonym Ellis Bell, was...

First published in 1857, The Life of Charlotte Bronte presents an intimate portrait of the celebrated author through the eyes of Elizabeth Gaskell, a personal friend of Bronte’s and fellow trailblazer of Victorian-era literature. Drawing from hundreds of Bronte’s letters, Gaskell illuminates what she described as a "wild, sad life and the beautiful character that grew out of it." Beginning with Bronte’s lonely childhood as a student at the...

Moving from the industrial riots of discontented millworkers through to the unsought passions of a middle-class woman, and from religious crises of conscience to the ethics of naval mutiny, it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Through the story of Margaret Hale, the middle-class southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skilfully explores issues of class and gender in the...

A Victorian country gentleman's new marriage produces mixed reactions from family and close associates in his English village.

Elizabeth Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857) is a pioneering biography of one great Victorian woman novelist by another. Gaskell was a friend of Bronte's and, having been invited to write the official life, determined to both tell the truth and honor her friend. This edition collates all three previous editions, as well as the manuscript, offering fuller information about the process of writing and a more detailed explanation of the text...