The Casterbridge Hiring Fair
Dr Diane Duffy’s has visited Dorchester, Dorset (aka Casterbridge, Wessex) to explore the life, work and inspiration of Thomas Hardy. Far From the Madding Crowd is the subject of our […]
Bathsheba Everdene
Dr Diane Duffy has paid a visit to Wessex to explore the life, work and inspiration of Thomas Hardy. Far From the Madding Crowd is the subject of our 2025-26 […]
Dressing for England
Our November 2025 lecture is given by Amy L. Montz, whose new book, Dressing for England explores fashion and nationalism in a number of Victorian novels, including Cranford.
A Visit to Hardy’s Wessex – part 3
Dr Diane Duffy has paid a visit to Wessex to explore the life, work and inspiration of Thomas Hardy. Far From the Madding Crowd is the subject of our 2025-26 […]
A Visit to Hardy’s Wessex – part 2
Ahead of her new season of Thomas Hardy study sessions, Dr Diane Duffy has paid a visit to Wessex.
A Visit to Hardy’s Wessex – part 1
Ahead of her new season of Thomas Hardy study sessions, Dr Diane Duffy has paid a visit to Wessex.
An Ideal Woman and the Marriage Question
Female behaviour and the choice of marriage partner are concerns for both Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot, writes Dr Diane Duffy.
Visits and Records – a list for further reading
Gaskell Society president Shirley Foster shares a reading list to accompany her 2024 Conference talk, ‘Visits and Records: nineteenth-century women travellers and their writings.
George Eliot’s Locations I – Chilvers Coton
As we open our conference in Hinckley this year, I ask the question : ‘What is the importance of location in the works of Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot?’ This […]