Publisher Description

'A really remarkable picture of the reality, as well as the prosperity, of northern industrial life, and an interesting examination of changing social conscience' Joanna Trollope'A really remarkable picture of the reality, as well as the prosperity, of northern industrial life, and an interesting examination of changing social conscience' Joanna TrollopeMilton is a sooty, noisy northern town centred around the cotton mills that employ most of its inhabitants. Arriving from a rural idyll in the south, Margaret Hale is initially shocked by the social unrest and poverty she finds in her new hometown. However, as she begins to befriend her neighbours, and her stormy relationship with the mill-owner John Thornton develops, she starts to see Milton in a different light.WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JENNY UGLOW

Notes

New editions of 2 of Gaskell's classic novels from the 19th century. They still have much to say about class divides and corporate responsibility in today's society, and Gaskell is a National Curriculum prescribed author.

Back Cover

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY JENNY UGLOW 'Gaskell saw the emotional and economic realities of ordinary life with a steely honesty' The Times Milton is a sooty, noisy northern town centred around the cotton mills that employ most of its inhabitants. Arriving from a rural idyll in the south, Margaret Hale is initially shocked by the social unrest and poverty she finds in her new hometown. However, as she begins to befriend her neighbours, and her stormy relationship with the mill-owner John Thornton develops, she starts to see Milton in a different light. See also: Mary Barton

Author Biography

Elizabeth Gaskell was born on 29 September 1810 in London. She was brought up in Knutsford, Cheshire by her aunt after her mother died when she was two years old. In 1832 she married William Gaskell, who was a Unitarian minister like her father. After their marriage they lived in Manchester with their children. Elizabeth Gaskell published her first novel, Mary Barton, in 1848 to great success. She went on to publish much of her work in Charles Dickens's magazines, Household Words and All the Year Round. Along with short stories and a biography of Charlotte Bronte, she published five more novels including North and South (1855) and Wives and Daughters (1866). Wives and Daughters is unfinished as Elizabeth Gaskell died suddenly of heart failure on 12 November 1865.

Review

Gaskell saw the emotional and economic realities of ordinary life with a steely honesty * The Times *
Ruth, North and South and Mary Barton are at least as good as any of Dickens's novels -- Sara Paretsky
Pah! to Dickens. Eat your heart out, Little Nell. That Elizabeth Gaskell could write a death scene to make your socks melt * Scotsman *
One of the most perceptive novels of the mid-Victorian era * Glasgow Herald *
North And South explores themes that still seem strikingly modern. One hundred and fifty years after it appeared, the North-South divide - and the social and economic gulf it implies - remains intact * Daily Mail *

Promotional

'A really remarkable picture of the reality, as well as the prosperity, of northern industrial life, and an interesting examination of changing social conscience' Joanna Trollope

Review Text

Gaskell saw the emotional and economic realities of ordinary life with a steely honesty

Review Quote

"Pah! to Dickens. Eat your heart out, Little Nell. That Elizabeth Gaskell could write a death scene to make your socks melt."

Promotional "Headline"

'A really remarkable picture of the reality, as well as the prosperity, of northern industrial life, and an interesting examination of changing social conscience' Joanna Trollope

Discussion Question for Reading Group Guide

1. Why do Margaret's parents allow her to shoulder such heavy burdens her father's crisis of faith and her mother's illness at such a young age? 2. Why does Margaret not tell her mother and father about Mr Lennox and Mr Thornton's proposals? Why does she have to wait to be asked directly by her father? 3. ' North and South explores themes that still seem strikingly modern' ( Daily Mail ). Do you think that the attitudes expressed in the novel about the north and south divide are relevant today? 4. Why is Margaret prejudiced against the industrialists of the time? How important is social class to the novel? 5. Who is the better Mother Mrs Hale, Mrs Thornton or Mrs Shaw? 6. The scene where Margaret stands between Mr Thornton and the striking workers is a turning point in the tale. What motivates Margaret's to put herself in this vulnerable - both emotionally and physically - situation? 7. Margaret is a strong female heroine. Do you think this is unusual in a Victorian novel? Why does Elizabeth Gaskell contrast Margaret so dramatically with the other girls of her age in the book for example Edith, Fanny and Bessy? 8. The original title of the book was Margaret Hale and it was only under pressure from her publishers that Gaskell changed the title to North and South . Do you think this was the right decision to make? Do you think you would read the novel differently if it had its original title? 9. Elizabeth Gaskell describes Mr Thornton as 'large and strong and tender, and yet a master '. Do you agree with her description? Can you be tender and a master? Does Mr Thornton prove this? 10. Was Margaret right to lie to the police officer? Do you think she should have told Mr Thornton the truth straight away? 11. Look at Margaret's relationship with the Higginses and compare it to Mr Thornton's relationship to them. What are the differences and the similarities? Who gains the most from the connection Margaret, Mr Thornton or the Higgins? 12. Both Margaret and Thornton know that their families will not approve of the marriage. Are they right to marry? Can they be happy?

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