Showing results by author "Elizabeth Gaskell" in All Categories

The Best of Women's Short Stories, Volume 2 is a celebration of iconic female writers from the 19th and 20th centuries; featuring eight full-length stories relating the many experiences and complexities of womanhood. This collection brings together stories by Katherine Mansfield, Mary Shelley, Elizabeth Gaskell, Kate Chopin and Jane Austen.

Elizabeth Gaskells enchanting tales of Cranford are often linked to her childhood in Knutsford, a quaint town in Cheshire, where she spent time in her youth. This connection is emphasized in her 1849 essay, The Last Generation in England, where she fondly recalls the town in which I once resided. It’s clear that Knutsford served as the inspiration for Cranford. In 1851, while crafting Cranford, Gaskell also penned a novella titled Mr. Harrisons Confessions, which explores the life of a country doctor in a small provincial town—likely modeled after Knutsford, a place she cherished. ...

Elizabeth Gaskell, famed author of Cranford, is cherished for her incise social observations and portrayals of the changing nature of English life through the Industrial Revolution of the Victorian era. Mr. Harrison's Confessions is a warm, funny portrait of life in a small English town. Following the young Doctor Harrison, we hear of his practice and his courting in this charming tale.

When her father leaves the church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the north of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill owner and self-made man John Thornton.

Wives and Daughters follows the daily life of a widowed county doctor, Mr. Gibson, and his daughter, Molly. During our time with the Gibsons, Mr. Gibson decides to marry a woman who has a daughter near Molly's age, Cynthia. Molly and Cynthia grow up together, fall in love, and spend their days with the many characters in Hollingford.

A glorious collection of some of the finest British short stories ever written. The Dog – Arnold Bennet, Not On The Passenger List – Barry Pain, The Old Man’s Tale About The Queer Client – Charles Dickens, The Half Brothers – Elizabeth Gaskell, The Veiled Portrait – James McGovan, Markheim – Robert Louis Stevenson, The Bottle Imp – Robert Louis Stevenson, The Adventures Of The Kind Mr. Smith – William J. Locke, The Man Of Mystery – Barry Pain, The Brazilian Cat – Sir. Arthur Conan Doyle.

Discover the enchanting world of 'A House to Let' through this captivating audiobook. A collaborative work by some of the most celebrated authors of the 19th century, including Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Adelaide Anne Procter, this literary gem offers a collection of interconnected stories that will transport you to the intriguing and mysterious setting of a vacant house. In this audiobook, you'll experience a unique blend of vivid character development, Victorian charm, and suspenseful storytelling.

In rural England, a female-dominated community runs on social customs and gossip. At its heart are spinster sisters Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, who must withstand the everyday dramas and hardships of provincial life. Gaskell’s vivid portrayal of 19th century-country folk is reinvigorated by the narration of the inimitable Prunella Scales, star of Fawlty Towers.

William Collins Books and Decca Records are proud to present ARGO Classics, a historic catalogue of classic fiction read by some of the world’s most renowned voices. Originally released as vinyl records, these expertly abridged and remastered stories are now available to download for the first...

Mary Barton has a choice to make: either protect a member of her family or sit back and watch a terrible miscarriage of justice. Will she make the right decision in time?

Delve into the poignant world of Ruth, a social novel that explores the Victorian attitudes towards sin and illegitimacy. This surprisingly compassionate tale focuses on Ruth Hilton, a young seamstress and orphan who faces the harsh realities of society after being seduced and abandoned by the gentleman Henry Bellingham. Alone and pregnant, Ruth finds refuge with a kind minister and his sister, who help her navigate the stigma of her situation by masquerading her as a widow. As she strives to build a respectable life as a governess, her past threatens to unravel everything when Bellingham ...

Elizabeth Gaskells final novel, serialized in Cornhill Magazine from 1864 to 1866 and completed posthumously by her editor, offers a vivid portrayal of English life in the 1830s. The story follows Molly Gibson, the daughter of a widowed doctor, as she navigates her formative years in the provincial town of Hollingford. When Mr. Gibson remarries, Molly finds herself grappling with a pretentious stepmother while cherishing her deep bond with her new stepsister, Cynthia. Their relationships with the townspeople, especially the Squire of Hamley Hall and his family, lead to a rich tapestry of ...

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Lizzie Leigh is the sad tragedy of a young girl, who, while being away from home for work in Manchester, commits the sin of adultery and becomes pregnant with an illegitimate child. She decides not to return home for fear of her harsh father’s reaction. Not knowing whether her daughter is still alive, her mother decides to take her two sons and go to Manchester to look for her. The narrative then follows Lizzie’s poignant existence, as she tries to purge her soul from sin.

In this classic Victorian novel, Elizabeth Gaskell explores the themes of love and social justice in an industrial age. Set in the north of England, out-of-towner Margaret Hale finds herself simultaneously attracted to mill owner John Thorton, and repulsed by the way he treats his workers. Full of history, romance, and social commentary, North & South will provoke your mind and tug at your heart. This production is read for you actress Jenny Agutter, most famously known for The Railway Children.

This eerie collection includes: "The Doll's Ghost", "Thrawn Janet", "The Watcher", "The Old Nurse's Story", and "The Canterville Ghost".

When her father remarries, the honest, innocent Molly Gibson suddenly finds herself with a new stepsister, Cynthia, who is beautiful, worldly and impetuous. This would be more than enough to deal with, but the new wife is the deeply snobbish (and darkly secretive) Hyacinth. Thwarted love, scheming ambition and small-town gossip underlie the warmth, irony and brilliant social observation which link the relationships and the inevitable conflicts as profound change comes to rural England.

Dive into the captivating life of Charlotte Bronte, a renowned British author and the eldest of the literary Bronte sisters, best known for her timeless classic, Jane Eyre. This biography, penned by her friend Elizabeth Gaskell just two years post Charlottes demise, offers an intimate glimpse into her life. If youve been intrigued by Charlotte Bronte and her works, this biography is a must-read. Dont forget to check out Volume One of this biography available here.

When Margaret Hale moves with her parents from the comfort of the south of England to the industrial north, she is at first repulsed by what she sees; and then, when she discovers the conditions under which the workers are forced to live, she is outraged. But this throws her into direct conflict with the powerful young mill-owner John Thornton. Using personal passions to explore deep social divisions, North and South is a great romance - and one of Elizabeth Gaskell’s finest works.

Elizabeth Gaskell's novella The Moorland Cottage takes place near the town of Combehurst where Mrs. Browne lives with her children, Edward and Maggie, and their servant, Nancy. Near the Brownes' cottage lives the Bruxton family in a luxurious mansion. The two families grow closer with time and the author shows how childhood education and growing up shape and effect the adult personality.

The Greatest Female Writers Classics Collection is a stunning compilation of twenty books by some of the most legendary women writers throughout history. From Mary Wollstonecraft’s groundbreaking call for women’s rights to Austen’s unparalleled witty romance; from Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s clever reckoning with female oppression to the stunning verse of Emily Dickinson: these writers put women’s literary genius on the map, and continue to resonate with audiences today.