Synopses & Reviews
A crisis of conscience uproots a clergyman's family from the pastoral beauty of the south, sending them to a dreary city in the industrial north. Margaret Hale is initially appalled by the unrefined town of Milton and its population of factory workers. But after befriending a local family, she develops a sense of sympathy for the struggles of the poor. The demands of Margaret's awakening social conscience are further challenged by her attraction to John Thornton, self-made man and wealthy factory owner.
Praised by Charles Dickens as an "admirable story, full of character and power," Elizabeth Gaskell's 1855 novel unfolds across the social divides of a changing world. The romance between the haughty but sensitive heroine and an intelligent, dynamic man of lower social status touches upon political, philosophical, and economic issues. An unflinching depiction of the bleak conditions of the working poor as well as a commentary on the mid-Victorian era's class conflicts, this richly textured tale raises timeless questions about the nature of social authority and protest.
Synopsis
Richly textured novel of romance and class conflict explores English social, political, religious, and cultural life during the mid-Victorian era, particularly in terms of the differences between the agricultural South and industrial North.
Synopsis
This richly textured novel of courtship and marriage explores the dichotomies between the rigidly stratified South and the upstart industrial North during England's mid-Victorian era. Called "an admirable story" by Charles Dickens, the book is the turbulent tale of Margaret Hale, a woman torn between her sympathy for discontented millworkers and her love for the factory's wealthy owner.
Synopsis
This richly textured novel of romance and class conflict explores the dichotomies between the pastoral South and industrial North during England's mid-Victorian era. Praised by Dickens as "an admirable story," this is a turbulent tale of a woman torn between her sympathy for discontented millworkers and her love for the factory's owner.
About the Author
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-65) was a major Victorian novelist whose works have provided readers with endless enjoyment and social historians with enormous insight into English life in the mid-19th century. Her major works include Cranford and Wives and Daughters, in addition to the first biography of her fellow novelist Charlotte Brontë.