The Gaskell Society New Year Lunch 2025 We're thrilled to welcome back members and friends for our wonderfully convivial New Year lunch - a firm favourite in our society's calendar. Join us at the Cottons Hotel, Knutsford for a three-course lunch, including coffee and after-lunch entertainment.Members old and new, non-members and guests are all most […]
In Session 3, Dr Diane Duffy takes a look at the portrayal of sisters in these well-loved works by George Eliot and Elizabeth Gaskell. Our monthly Knutsford meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). They take the form of an informal and friendly open discussion / […]
Margaret Emily Gaskell (1837-1913) – universally known as Meta – was the second of William and Elizabeth Gaskell’s four daughters, and the elder of the two who remained unmarried. She lived at Plymouth Grove until her death, and during her father’s lifetime and beyond she helped to maintain the household’s standing as a noted centre […]
Who were the potential models for Signor Brunoni? Could Dickens (who performed as “The Unparalleled Necromancer Rhia Rhama Rhoos”) have been one of them? What kind of text did Miss Pole use to research how the magic tricks are done? Christopher Pittard’s forthcoming book, Literary Illusions, explores the dialogue between Victorian literature and one of […]
Many critics have considered the similarities between the works of Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot, thus suggesting one having influenced the other. Eliot’s reputation has been such that there is often an assumption that Gaskell would be influenced by her. The question we should be asking is: Did Gaskell in any way influence Eliot? In […]
We're delighted to welcome Duncan Hamilton to our March meeting. We live in a world of friction between the nations of the United Kingdom. Resurgent Scotland, resilient Wales and confident Northern Ireland jostle with long-dominant England for an equal voice on Britain’s national stage. From Scotland’s independence referendum to Brexit, the 2010s and 2020s have […]
In this session, Dr Diane Duffy will be looking at Fallenness in Adam Bede and Mary Barton, with a focus on the characters of Hetty Sorrel and Aunt Esther. Our monthly Knutsford meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). Bring your own packed lunch from 1pm […]
« All Events The Gaskell Society Annual General Meeting 2025 12 April , 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Our 40th Annual General Meeting takes place at Cross Street Chapel in Manchester on Saturday 12 April, 2025.10.00 Tea and Coffee10.30 Annual General Meeting11.45 The Daphne Carrick Memorial Lecture‘It is only to the kindness of my friends that I […]
To round off her season of discussions comparing the works of Elizabeth Gaskell and George Eliot, Dr Diane Duffy takes a look at some critical reponses. Our monthly Knutsford meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month, between October and April (except December). Bring your own packed lunch from 1pm and then enjoy […]
Barbara Leigh Smith Bodichon was one of the most intriguing of Victorian heroines: unconventional, illegitimate, yet at the centre of a luminous circle of influential Victorians, including Elizabeth Gaskell, George Eliot, Florence Nightingale, the Rossettis and Gertrude Jekyll. She was someone who opened many of the doors we walk through today with barely a backward […]