Elizabeth Gaskell’s Smaller Stories


Book Description

This book re-locates Elizabeth Gaskell’s ‘smaller stories’ in the literary and cultural context of the nineteenth century. While Gaskell is recognised as one of the major novelists of her time, the short stories that make up a large proportion of her published work have not yet received the critical attention they deserve. This study re-claims them as an indispensable part of her literary output that enables us to better contextualize and assess her achievement holistically as a highly-skilled woman of letters. The periodicals in which Gaskell’s shorter pieces were published offer a microcosm of nineteenth-century society, and Gaskell took full advantage of the medium to apply a consistent and barbed challenge to cultural and gendered constructs of roles and social behaviour. Although her eminently readable prose still flows easily in her short stories, it is less likely to elide the sharp corners of domestic violence, the disabling experiences of women, the pain of death and loss, and the complications of family life.




Cranford & Selected Short Stories


Book Description

Contains six of her finest stories that have been selected to demonstrate the variety and accomplishment of her shorter fiction, and to trace the development of her art.




The Squire's Story


Book Description

The Squire's Story Elizabeth Gaskell The squire's story by Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of Victorian society, including the very poor, and are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published in 1848. Gaskell's The Life of Charlotte Brontë, published in 1857, was the first biography of Brontë. In this biography, she only wrote the moral, sophisticated things in Brontë's life, the rest she left out, deciding that certain, more salacious aspects of her life were better kept hidden. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.




The Moorland Cottage


Book Description

Looking for an engaging and emotionally resonant read from a novelist who was inspired by the works of both Charles Dickens and Charlotte Bronte? Elizabeth Gaskell's 1850 short novel The Moorland Cottage offers up a unflinching slice of nineteenth-century family life, with a particular focus on family dynamics in an era where sons were openly favored.




Elizabeth Gaskell and the Art of the Short Story


Book Description

This volume presents a collection of original and interconnected essays which aim to chart Elizabeth Gaskell's literary imagination by focusing on diverse aspects of her short stories. It includes the papers read at the conference on «Elizabeth Gaskell and the art of the short story», organized by the Centre for Victorian and Edwardian Studies (CUSVE, «G. d'Annunzio» University, Pescara, 2010), to celebrate the bicentenary of her birth. While offering fresh insights into Gaskell's shorter fiction, this collection provides an introduction to the many issues that absorbed her literary attention. Most importantly, by considering the growing significance of some neglected aspects of her works and the cultural and ideological context in which she lived, the contributions collectively delineate Gaskell's artistic tensions, ethical sensibility and social commitment in a rapidly changing world. In their overall critical design, the contributors intend to shed light on the complex web of dialogic suggestions underlying her fiction, while at the same time revealing the extraordinary and multifaceted inventiveness of one of the most important Victorian writers.




The Old Nurse's Story


Book Description

The Old Nurse's Story is a ghost tale by Elizabeth Gaskell. Little Miss Rosamond her loving nurse move into an old mansion. Very soon it becomes clear that there are secrets to be discovered, strange nocturnal sounds and spooky shapes moving about.




Performativity in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Shorter Fiction


Book Description

This book simultaneously examines the specific theoretical issues raised by Elizabeth Gaskell’s use of characterization in her shorter fiction, and addresses the larger question of how literary critics ought to use theory. The text gives a history of Judith Butler’s theory of performativity and the uptake of that theory in literary criticism, and also provides detailed close reading of Gaskell’s fiction—both frequently examined texts like Cranford, Mary Barton, and Wives and Daughters, and some that are less often studied, such as “Lizzie Leigh” and Cousin Phillis. The book argues that as theory becomes naturalized into the vocabulary of literary scholars, it often becomes more optimistic and less specific. In discussing the naturalization of theory exemplified by the application of performativity to Gaskell, the book advances general principles on the use of theory. It can be read as scholarship or used as a textbook in literary methods courses.




The Complete Short Stories of Elizabeth Gaskell


Book Description

The Complete Short Stories of Elizabeth Gaskell offers readers a glimpse into the life and society of Victorian England through a collection of engaging and thought-provoking tales. Gaskell's writing style is characterized by its keen observations of human nature and social issues, often interwoven with elements of romance and mystery. Her stories are reflective of the literary context of her time, drawing upon themes of class struggle, gender roles, and the changing landscape of industrial England. The anthology showcases Gaskell's versatility as a writer, with each story presenting a unique narrative and moral lesson for readers to ponder. As a prominent figure in the Victorian literary scene, Gaskell's short stories provide valuable insights into the complexities of her era, making this collection a must-read for fans of classic literature and historical fiction. Elizabeth Gaskell's keen insights into human nature and society make The Complete Short Stories of Elizabeth Gaskell a compelling read for anyone interested in exploring the nuances of Victorian literature.




Elizabeth Gaskell


Book Description

"A great deal has been written about Elizabeth Gaskell in the past decade, and Elizabeth Gaskell: An Annotated Guide to English Language Sources, 1992-2001 builds upon Weyant's 1994 work which covered some 350 sources published between 1976 and 1991. This supplement identifies almost 600 new books, book chapters, journal articles, dissertations, and master and honor theses on the life and writings of Gaskell. Contents include two appendixes of new editions of Gaskell's works in print and digital, audio, and video formats; a selection of websites; citations of many brief articles in the Gaskell Newsletter that are generally ignored in standard indexes; numerous sources that would otherwise be difficult to locate; and an author and subject index."--Quatrième de couverture




Elizabeth Gaskell's Use of Color in Her Industrial Novels and Short Stories


Book Description

Elizabeth Gaskell's Use of Color in Her Industrial Novels and Short Stories presents Gaskell's incorporation of Ruskin's moral theory of color to set the tone in her tales as she illustrates the dreary, monotonous existence of nineteenth century industrial workers. Wildt demonstrates the use of various shades, tints, and hues of color to set moral tone, express character feelings, and to foreshadow events as Gaskell establishes and sustains mood in her short stories, and to a greater extent, in her industrial novels. She points out the use of color for foreshadowing events, expressing character's feelings in defining character in Mary Barton, North and South, and Ruth. Focusing on Gaskell's repeated use of the storm cloud motif, Wildt notes its presence on physical and emotional levels to illustrate the bleakness of the trapped condition of working women in the mid-nineteenth century, and that it anticipates Ruskin's future use of "The Storm Cloud."