Overview

Cranford is a beautiful depiction of a close-knit group of ladies in a tiny English village. Through episodic vignettes, we are exposed to a community of genteel ladies, largely elderly and single, who keep their social conventions with graceful economy. The arrival and subsequent death of Captain Brown bring change and challenge their traditional ways. The narrative weaves through tales of love, loss, and resilience, capturing the trials of Miss Matty and her friends as they navigate the complexities of social status and personal tragedy. The novel highlights themes of community support, the impact of industrial change, and the power of kinship and kindness in overcoming life's hurdles. Cranford is modeled on Elizabeth Gaskell's childhood town of Knutsford, Cheshire. First serialized in Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words, Gaskell expanded the work into a full novel with Dickens' encouragement. The narrative's focus on women's experiences in a changing society highlights class distinctions and the impacts of the industrial era. Cranford significantly shaped public perception of the Victorian period through its nostalgic, humorous, and sometimes sentimental depiction of a bygone era. This case laminate collector's edition includes a Victorian inspired dust-jacket.

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9781778785467

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Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (29 September 1810 - 12 November 1865), 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. Among Gaskell's best known novels are Cranford (1851-53), North and South (1854-55), and Wives and Daughters (1865), each having been adapted for television by the BBC. In early 1850 Gaskell wrote to Charles Dickens asking for advice about assisting a girl named Pasley whom she had visited in prison. Pasley provided her with a model for the title character of Ruth in 1853. Lizzie Leigh was published in March and April 1850, in the first numbers of Dickens's journal Household Words, in which many of her works were to be published. In June 1855 Patrick Brontë asked Gaskell to write a biography of his daughter Charlotte, and The Life of Charlotte Brontë was published in 1857. This played a significant role in developing Gaskell's own literary career.

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