For Elizabeth Gaskell Fans

Submitted by _cathyH t3_1177w23 in books

Hiya! Are there any bookclubs or something similar for Gaskell fans here?

I've just finished reading North&South (read it twice this month!), and I caaaaaaan't get over it! My first time ever reading a book set in the Victorian era. The Victorian class system was laid out here, and it's a good peak to the start of industrialization.

Plus, the character development for the protagonists is really interesting. I've come to realize how much of their progress is when you compare it to the side characters (which of course has stagnant of a character)

Beeen dying to talk with someone and be obsessed with N&S!

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Comments

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Embiggenment t1_j9at4e2 wrote

I have North and South in my collection, but have not actually read it yet. I wonder if there's anything I should know about or what the background is. You can certainly DM me if you'd like and I can, like, track my progress as I go along, haha.

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PinkMoonbow t1_j9c8cqs wrote

Watch the BBC adaptation of 4 episodes pls, the lead actors are so delightful and they changed coupleof scenes, but the climax one is so worth it !

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_cathyH OP t1_j9e6q6a wrote

Replying to PinkMoonbow (#1,890,329)

Yes oh my gosh I did!!!!!! I'll admit, it's not one of the true-to-the-book adaptations, and there are definitely more that one scene that could've gone way better, but my god!, it's more than enough to satiate my obsession with N&S

and Richard Armitage as Mr. Thornton???????? 🙈❤️

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JustNoNoISaid t1_j9e9s5j wrote

She's my Victorian comfort read. Cranford is a delight, as are her shorter fiction.

Her novels have been hit or miss, with North & South and Mary Barton in the hits category, and Wives & Daughters and Sylvia's Lovers in the miss.

Unlike Charlotte Bronte, though, who had a tendency to shoot above her intelectual weight, and Dickens, to a large extent, who got mired in the melodrama of his stories, I found Gaskell to be a very grounded writer, a rarity among the Victorians.

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JustNoNoISaid t1_j9eb537 wrote

Replying to _cathyH (#1,897,463)

Classic novels are always worth a read, if only so you can form your own opinion on them

The novel is unfinished, though. I read the Wordsworth Classics edition of it, and it had an ending compiled posthumously from Gaskell's notes by her editor, I think.

It serves, but you know - it's not Gaskell. Her genius is in her narration.

To wit, you should also read Gaskell's biography of the Bronte sisters.

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Previous_Injury_8664 t1_j9f178y wrote

Replying to _cathyH (#1,897,185)

Wives and Daughters is fantastic, and the miniseries is excellent as well. It was written and produced by the same team as the 1995 Pride and Prejudice and has a top notch cast.

I’m sorry to say it’s been a few years since I’ve read North and South so I don’t have talking points ready in my head. I do remember finding her take on the Industrial Revolution interesting, especially her unwillingness to praise or censor either side.

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