Wives and Daughters (ePub)

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865), often referred to as Mrs. Gaskell, was a notable English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Her narrative style combined romanticism with realism, offering a detailed and sensitive portrayal of the lives of various social classes, often emphasizing the struggles of women in a patriarchal society. Born in London and raised in Knutsford, Cheshire, Gaskell later married a Unitarian minister and moved to Manchester, a city that inspired much of her work. Her novels, rich in character development, explore social tensions and transformations underway in Victorian England.

Gaskell's prolific career includes works such as 'Mary Barton' (1848), tackling industrialization and class conflict, and 'North and South' (1855), a nuanced examination of the clashes between the industrial north and the agrarian south of England. 'Wives and Daughters' (1866), Gaskell's final and perhaps most mature work, remained unfinished at her death, but nonetheless stands as a perspicacious study of mid-Victorian provincial life and the complexities of human relationships. The novel was serialized in the Cornhill Magazine before being published posthumously. Through her literary contributions, Gaskell remains a respected figure in English literature, noteworthy for her detailed critique of contemporary society and her rich depictions of female resilience and agency.