Celebrating the life and work of Elizabeth Gaskell
Gaskell and the Perception of Wales in Eighteenth and Nineteenth-century Writing The last section ended on a note of sexual licence creeping into the interpretation of Nest’s behaviour, which may have been a nod to a political debate in the … Continued
Join Elizabeth Gaskell’s House for its online North and South Season Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is opening 2022 with a North and South season to explore one of Elizabeth Gaskell’s most famous and much loved novels. Bringing the nineteenth century world … Continued
Gaskell and the Perception of Wales in Eighteenth and Nineteenth-century Writing In my last post we examined the landscape of Wales and touched on its legends in the poetry of Felicia Hemans. In part 2, I examine Wales as a … Continued
Gaskell and the Perception of Wales in Eighteenth and Nineteenth -century Writing During our study session in November 2020, a number of ideas were aired and questions asked about the use of Wales in Gaskell’s ‘The Well of Pen Morfa’ … Continued
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a reader in possession of a good book, must be in want of another… So says Art Kilmer, Gaskell Society member and the man behind the Bookshelf Odyssey Podcast series. Art talks books, … Continued
Every year, on a Sunday, close to what would have been Elizabeth Gaskell’s birthday, Gaskell Society members assemble at Brook Street Chapel in Knutsford. We lay flowers on Elizabeth’s grave and on that of our much-missed Secretary and Founder member, … Continued
Mr Simms Olde Sweet Shoppe: Purveyor of the Finest Confectionery, is a rapidly-growing chain of shops selling old-fashioned humbugs, lollipops and other traditional sweets in large, screw-topped bottles. Their popularity tells its own story. A certain nostalgia surrounds them and … Continued
Following my last ‘Tea at Cranford’ post, I will now consider the dangers which may have been lurking in those dainty sandwiches, ‘cut to the imaginary pattern of excellence that existed in Miss Matty’s mind, as being the way which … Continued
Tea plays an integral role in Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel Cranford. Grown in India, a British colony, and imported by the East India Company, it became a national beverage found in practically every household. But tea was more than just an … Continued
Meta and Julia Gaskell purchased 84 Plymouth Grove 16 years after their father’s death [see my previous blog] and remained there until their own deaths Julia in 1908 and Meta in 1913. Marianne, Elizabeth’s eldest daughter was still alive at … Continued