Elizabeth Gaskell, in the 1832 miniature by William John Thomson

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (née Stevenson; 29 September 1810–12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs. Gaskell, was an English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. She is perhaps best known for her biography of Charlotte Bronte. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, and as such are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature. ^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1810 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... Queen Victoria (shown here on the morning of her accession to the Throne, 20 June 1837) gave her name to the historic era The Victorian era of the United Kingdom marked the height of the British Industrial Revolution and the apex of the British Empire. ... Charlotte Bront - idealized portrait, 1873 (based on a drawing by George Richmond, 1850) Charlotte Bront (April 21, 1816 - March 31, 1855) was an English writer. ... Å…Social history is an area of historical study considered by some to be a social science that attempts to view historical evidence from the point of view of developing social trends. ...

Early life

She was born Elizabeth Stevenson in 1810 at 93, Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, which was then on the outskirts of London. Her mother, Eliza Holland, was from a prominent Midlands family that was well-connected with other Unitarian and prominent families like the Wedgwoods and the Darwins. She died in 1812 when Elizabeth was a baby. Elizabeth was one of eight children, of whom only she and her brother John (born 1806) survived. John later went missing in 1827 on a voyage to India. Cheyne Walk (pronounced Chaynee) is the most historic street in Chelsea, a bit of picturesque old London. Most of the houses were built in the early eighteenth century. ... Statue of Thomas More on Cheyne Walk. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Historic Unitarianism believed in the oneness of God as opposed to traditional Christian belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). ... Wedgwood is a British pottery firm, originally founded by Josiah Wedgwood, and possibly the most famous name ever associated with pottery in any form, which in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to become Waterford Wedgwood. ... Darwin most commonly refers to: Charles Darwin (1809–1882), renowned naturalist and thinker associated with the theory of evolution by natural selection Darwin, Northern Territory, Australian city and the capital of the Northern Territory Darwin (operating system), a low level computer operating system used as the lower layer of Apple...

Her father, William Stevenson, a Unitarian minister and a writer, remarried after Elizabeth's mother died. Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Archbishop of Canterbury · Catholic Pope Coptic Pope · Ecumenical Patriarch Christianity Portal This box:      Unitarianism is the belief...

Much of Elizabeth's childhood was spent in Cheshire, where she lived with an aunt, Mrs Hannah Lumb, in Knutsford, a town she would later immortalise as Cranford. They lived in a large redbrick house, Heathwaite, on Heathside (now Gaskell Avenue), which faces the large open area of Knutsford Heath. Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a county in North West England. ... , Knutsford is a town and civil parish in the borough of Macclesfield, Cheshire, England, located south-west of Manchester, and west of Wilmslow. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Cranford Cranford is the best-known of Elizabeth Gaskells novels. ...

She also spent some time in Newcastle upon Tyne (with Rev. William Turner) and Edinburgh. Her stepmother was a sister of the Scottish miniature artist, William John Thomson, who painted a famous portrait of Elizabeth in 1832. In the same year, Elizabeth married William Gaskell, the minister at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel in Manchester, who had a literary career of his own. They honeymooned in North Wales, staying with Elizabeth's uncle, Samuel Holland, who lived near Porthmadog. This article is about a city in the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Edinburgh (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Scottish as an ethnic group. ... Some links to this page should perhaps link to miniature (illuminated manuscript). ... The Reverend William Gaskell (24 July 1805; Latchford, Cheshire – 12 June 1884) was an English Unitarian minister, charity worker and pioneer in the education of the working class. ... Cross Street Chapel is a Unitarian church in Manchester, England, famous in civic and national life for its contributions to piety and civil society. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... Approximate extent of North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. ... Porthmadog, (Pronounced Port Madock), known locally as Port, is a small coastal town located in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, traditionally part of Caernarfonshire. ...

Married life and Plymouth Grove

Elizabeth Gaskell — from the 1851 portrait by George Richmond

The Gaskells settled in Manchester, where the industrial surroundings would offer inspiration for her novels (in the industrial genre). They had several children: a stillborn daughter in 1833, followed by Marianne (1834), Margaret Emily (1837), known as Meta, Florence Elizabeth (1842), William (1844-1845) and Julia Bradford (1846). Her daughter Florence married a barrister, Charles Crompton, in 1862. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... George Richmond (1809 - 1896) was an English painter. ... The industrial novel is a genre of early Victorian literature. ...

They rented a villa in Plymouth Grove in 1850, after the publication of Gaskell's first novel, and Gaskell lived in the house with her family until her death 15 years later.^[2] All of Gaskell's books, bar one, were written at Plymouth Grove, while her husband held welfare committees and tutored the poor in his study. The circles in which the Gaskells moved included literary greats, religious dissenters and social reformers, including William and Mary Howitt. Visitors to Plymouth Grove included Charles Dickens, John Ruskin, Harriet Beecher Stowe and American writer Charles Eliot Norton, while conductor Charles Hallé lived close by, and taught the piano to one of Gaskell's four daughters. Close friend Charlotte Brontë is known to have stayed there three times, and on one occasion hid behind the drawing room curtains as she was too shy to meet Gaskell's visitors.^[3] The modern 84 Plymouth Grove 84 Plymouth Grove is a grade-II*-listed neoclassical villa in Manchester, UK,[1] which was home to the Gaskell family between 1850 and 1913. ... For the game, see: 1850 (board game) 1850 (MDCCCL) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... William Howitt (December 18, 1792 – March 3, 1879), was an English author. ... Mary Howitt Mary Howitt (1799 — 1888) was an English poetess, and author of the famous poem The Spider and the Fly. She was born Mary Botham, at Coleford, in Gloucestershire, the daughter of Samuel and Ann Botham. ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... Upper: Steel-plate engraving of Ruskin as a young man, made circa 1845, scanned from print made circa 1895. ... Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe (June 14, 1811 – July 1 , 1896) was an American abolitionist and novelist, whose Uncle Toms Cabin (1852) attacked the cruelty of slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential, even in Britain. ... The brothers Charles Benjamin Norton, Frank Henry Norton, and Charles Eliot Norton, between 1853-1855. ... Karl Hallé (April 11, 1819–October 25, 1895), who later changed his first name to Charles, was a pianist and conductor. ... Charlotte Brontë (IPA: ) (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855) was an English novelist and the eldest of the three Brontë sisters whose novels have become timeless pieces of English literature. ...

Gaskell died in Holybourne, Hampshire in 1865 aged 55. The house on Plymouth Grove remained in the Gaskell family until 1913. Holybourne is a small village in Hampshire, England, near the town of Alton. ... For other uses, see Hampshire (disambiguation). ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

Works

Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton, was published anonymously in 1848. The best known of her remaining novels are Cranford (1853), North and South (1854), and Wives and Daughters (1865). She became popular for her writing, especially her ghost story writing, aided by her friend Charles Dickens, who published her work in his magazine Household Words. Her ghost stories are quite distinct in style from her industrial fiction and belong to the Gothic fiction genre. Mary Barton was Elizabeth Gaskells first novel, published in 1848. ... Year 1848 (MDCCCXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Cranford Cranford is the best-known of Elizabeth Gaskells novels. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... North and South is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in 1854. ... 1854 (MDCCCLIV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Wives and Daughters is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. ... 1865 (MDCCCLXV) is a common year starting on Sunday. ... A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or the belief of some character(s) in them. ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... Front cover of volume XI Household Words was a weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens which took its name from the line from Shakespeare Familiar in his mouth as household words—Henry V. It was published between 1850 and 1859. ... The industrial novel is a genre of early Victorian literature. ... Strawberry Hill, an English villa in the Gothic revival style, built by seminal Gothic writer Horace Walpole Gothic fiction is an important genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. ...

Even though her writing conforms to Victorian conventions (including signing her name "Mrs. Gaskell"), Gaskell usually frames her stories as critiques of contemporary attitudes, particularly those toward women, with complex narratives and dynamic female characters.^[4]

In addition to her fiction, Gaskell also wrote the first biography of Charlotte Brontë, which played a significant role in developing her fellow writer's reputation. Charlotte Brontë (IPA: ) (April 21, 1816 – March 31, 1855) was an English novelist and the eldest of the three Brontë sisters whose novels have become timeless pieces of English literature. ...

Dialect usage

Gaskell's style is notable for putting local dialect words into the voice of middle-class characters and of the narrator; for example in North and South, Margaret Hale suggests redding up (tidying) the Bouchers' house and even offers jokingly to teach her mother words such as knobstick (strike-breaker).^[5] Her husband collected Lancashire dialect, and Gaskell defended her use of dialect as expressing otherwise inexpressible concepts in an 1854 letter to Walter Savage Landor:^[5] A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... Walter Savage Landor (January 30, 1775 - September 17, 1864), English writer, eldest son of Walter Landor and his wife Elizabeth Savage, was born at Warwick. ...

:'...you will remember the country people's use of the word "unked". I can't find any other word to express the exact feeling of strange unusual desolate discomfort, and I sometimes "potter" and "mither" people by using it.'^[6]

She used the dialect word "nesh" (soft), which goes back to Old English, in Mary Barton: Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon[1], Old English: ) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ...

"Sit you down here: the grass is well nigh dry by this time; and you're neither of you nesh folk about taking cold."^[7]

and later in 'The Manchester Marriage' [1858]:

"Now, I'm not above being nesh for other folks myself. I can stand a good blow, and never change colour; but, set me in the operating-room in the Infirmary, and I turn as sick as a girl." "At Mrs Wilson's death, Norah came back to them, as nurse to the newly-born little Edwin; into which post she was not installed without a pretty strong oration on the part of the proud and happy father; who declared that if he found out that Norah ever tried to screen the boy by a falsehood, or to make him nesh either in body or mind, she should go that very day."^[8]

Publications

Novels

• Mary Barton (1848)
• Cranford (1851-3)
• Ruth (1853)
• North and South (1854-5)
• Sylvia's Lovers (1863)
• Cousin Phillis (1864)
• Wives and Daughters: An Everyday Story (1865)

Mary Barton was Elizabeth Gaskells first novel, published in 1848. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Cranford Cranford is the best-known of Elizabeth Gaskells novels. ... Ruth is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in three volumes in 1853. ... North and South is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in 1854. ... Sylvias Lovers (1863) is a novel written by Elizabeth Gaskell. ... Cousin Phillis (1864) is a short story by Elizabeth Gaskell. ... Wives and Daughters is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. ...

Collections

• The Moorland Cottage (1850)
• The Old Nurse's Story (1852)
• Lizzie Leigh (1855)
• My Lady Ludlow (1859)
• Round the Sofa (1859)
• Lois the Witch (1861)
• A Dark Night's Work (1863)

Short stories (partial)

• Libbie Marsh's Three Eras (1847)
• Christmas Storms and Sunshine (1848)
• The Squire's Story (1853)
• Half a Life-time Ago (1855)
• An Accursed Race (1855)
• The Manchester Marriage (1858), a chapter of "A House to Let", co-written with Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Adelaide Anne Procter
• The Half-brothers (1859)
• The Grey Woman (1861)

The four authors (clockwise from top left): Dickens, Collins, Procter and Gaskell. ... “Dickens” redirects here. ... Wilkie Collins William Wilkie Collins (8 January 1824 – 23 September 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and writer of short stories. ... Adelaide Anne Procter, (October 30, 1825 _ February 2, 1864), English poet, was the eldest daughter of the poet Bryan Procter. ...

Non-fiction

• The Life of Charlotte Bronte (1857)

Charlotte Bront - idealized portrait, 1873 (based on a drawing by George Richmond, 1850) Charlotte Bront (April 21, 1816 - March 31, 1855) was an English writer. ...

References

External links

Wikisource has original works written by or about:

Elizabeth Gaskell

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Elizabeth Gaskell

• The Gaskell Web
• Elizabeth Gaskell at Victorian Web
• Works by Elizabeth Gaskell at Project Gutenberg
• A history of 84 Plymouth Grove and pictures from now and then