talk
Online Talk – Elizabeth Gaskell Goes Shopping
onlineAn illustrated Zoom talk by Anthony Burton Elizabeth Gaskell’s letters, which reveal so much of her life, tell us something of the shops she patronised in Manchester: this talk recalls them from obscurity. Hear about the interesting selection of bookshops, food shops and clothing shops that Elizabeth visited and how Manchester grew into the shopping […]
Online Talk – Beyond Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frances E.W. Harper and Harriet Jacobs
Zoom online only, United KingdomJoin the team at Elizabeth Gaskell's House to celebrate Black History Month with the incredible duo that is Bonnets at Dawn. They’ll be stepping across the Pond to talk about American Abolitionist writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and her relationship with African-American authors Frances E.W. Harper and Harriet Jacobs. After the success […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth I
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly 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 a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions will be an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's […]
Lois the Witch and Other Tales
Zoom online only, United KingdomJoin the team at Elizabeth Gaskell's House online for a spine-tingling talk, perfect for Halloween! Elizabeth Gaskell definitely had a dark side and wrote a number of gothic and ghostly stories. 'Lois the Witch' is set against the backdrop of the Salem witch trials. Explore these terrifying tales in our spellbinding Halloween talk by Dr Diane […]
A Vindication of the Rights of Woman – Mary Wollstonecraft’s Influence on the Writings of Elizabeth Gaskell
Zoom online only, United KingdomBack by popular demand! This sell-out talk by Dr Diane Duffy explores the life and work of Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneer of feminist thought in the UK, and her influence on Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing. Wollstonecraft is firmly back in public consciousness, due to the head-turning new statue in her honour, by artist Maggi Hambling. Join […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth II
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly 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 a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions are an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, […]
Online Talk – Christmas Customs
Zoom online only, United KingdomBringing some festive cheer from Elizabeth Gaskell’s House to your home! Sit back with a mince pie and enjoy the Gaskell Society's Anthony Burton’s talk about seasonal customs from Christmases past. The Victorians rediscovered many traditional customs, from wassail bowls and yule logs to mummers and boar’s heads. Anthony explores this ‘re-invention of Christmas’ and […]
Online Talk – Cranford Illustrators: which bits did they illustrate?
Zoom online only, United KingdomAs part of the Love Affair with Cranford exhibition at Elizabeth Gaskell's House, Anthony Burton returns with a new online talk exploring Cranford’s many illustrators. Surveying thirteen varied artists, he asks why they were attracted to illustrate certain aspects of Elizabeth Gaskell’s work. The cow in flannel pyjamas? Few artists tried this but many depicted Miss Matty burning […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth III
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly 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 a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions are an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel, […]
Online Talk: North and South – An Introduction
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! The season opener is the Gaskell Society's Elizabeth Williams, with an introduction to this best-known and most-loved of Gaskell's novels. One of the first industrial novels to describe class strife, it follows heroine Margaret […]
Online Talk: A Tale of Two Houses – Lizzy Bennet and Margaret Hale
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! In this lively online event we take a closer look at two of literature’s best loved heroines – Lizzy Bennet (Pride & Prejudice) and Margaret Hale (North and South). Presented in partnership with the […]
Knutsford Meeting – Ruth IV
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomOur monthly 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 a friendly and informal talk and discussion, led by Dr Diane Duffy, 2-3pm. Our October, November, January and February sessions will be an exploration of Elizabeth Gaskell's […]
Online Talk: North and South – The TV Adaptation
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! The BBC adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic novel was a surprise instant hit with television audiences when it aired in 2004. A key part of its appeal was the performance of the two […]
Knutsford Meeting – March 2022
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomThe Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne joins Elizabeth Gaskell's Ruth in the line-up in our March and April meetings, as Dr Diane Duffy begins a discussion exploring the two works side-by-side. Diane will be looking at the situation and presentations of the two protagonists, Hester Prynne and Ruth, along with the presentation of children.In March, we'll […]
Elizabeth Gaskell and the Lushington Family
Elizabeth Gaskell's House 84 Plymouth Grove,, Manchester, United Kingdom“I do like Mr Lushington very much”: Elizabeth Gaskell and the Lushington family. A presentation by Dr David Taylor, author of The Remarkable Lushington Family. Reformers, Pre-Raphaelites, Positivists and the Bloomsbury Group. David will be talking about Vernon Lushington, a friend of Elizabeth’s, who was a frequent visitor to her home at Plymouth Grove. Tickets are £13 […]
Knutsford Meeting – April 2022
Brook Street Chapel Adam's Hill,, Knutsford, United KingdomThe second of our discussions looking at The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Elizabeth Gaskell's Ruth, in which Dr Diane Duffy compares the two works. In April, Diane will lead a discussion on Pearl (the child) and her father, with a focus on chapters 6, 8, 15, 18, 19 and the last two. Our monthly […]
Online Talk: Milton and Manchester- the Backdrop to North and South
Zoom online only, United KingdomWe are thrilled that Elizabeth Gaskell's House is celebrating North and South during 2022, with a special season of events and talks! The romance of Elizabeth Gaskell’s famous novel North and South is set against the harsh industrial backdrop of her own city of Manchester, thinly disguised as ‘Milton’ in her writing. Her description of industrial […]
Manchester Meeting – Mr Darwin & Mrs Gaskell
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomMr Darwin and Mrs Gaskell: a tale of two storytellersIn October, we welcome Gordon Chancellor, who will examine the many connections between Charles Darwin and Elizabeth Gaskell, both in their family lives and in their work as great Victorian storytellers. They were distantly related via the Wedgwoods and Hollands and they both had daughters whose […]
Manchester Meeting – “I do like Mr Lushington very much”
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomWe're delighted to welcome David Taylor FSA to our November meeting. The Home Quartet (Mrs Lushington and her Daughters) by Arthur HughesVernon Lushington was a close friend of Elizabeth Gaskell and visited her often in Manchester, being a welcome guest at her house in Plymouth Grove. He was a lawyer, civil servant, philanthropist and Christian […]
Scumbling: Gaskell’s Turneresque Aesthetics
Francis Holland School 39 Graham Terrace, London, United KingdomWe welcome back Annick Pommier, who is continuing her PhD research at Université Paris Cité and who will talk about the impact of John Ruskin and J.M.W. Turner on Gaskell’s writing. Gaskell’s dear American friend, Charles Eliot Norton, remembered a conversation with Gaskell and her daughters about the contemporary book they would choose if they […]
Online Talk: Vintage Victorian Christmas Cards
onlineThe Victorians loved the festive season and created a new tradition of sending Christmas cards by important illustrators such as Kate Greenaway and Alice Havers. Victorian cards often included the bizarre and creepy with everything from murderous mice to feisty frogs marking the season. So, just why were Victorian Christmas cards so odd? Join Dr […]
Manchester Meeting – The Restoration of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House
Cross Street Chapel Cross Street,, Manchester, United KingdomWe're especially delighted to welcome our dear friend, Frank Galvin, for our December illustrated talk. Frank is a retired museum curator who worked for Stockport’s Heritage Service for 32 years: he was responsible for Stockport’s eight heritage sites and managed a team of curators, designers and technicians. His projects included the Hat Works, The Stockport […]
Online Talk: Christmas Literature
online'I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year…' A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is the best known and most loved of all Christmas novels with its tale of Scrooge’s seasonal redemption through Christmas Past, Present and Future. But as we step into Christmas, the Gaskell Society's Anthony […]
Online Talk: Mary Barton – An Introduction
onlineA new season of Mary Barton events begins at Elizabeth Gaskell's House with this introduction to her first novel, Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life. The story is a tale of class strife, romantic love and action adventure as Mary Barton, daughter of a trade unionist, is torn between the working-class Jem Wilson and mill […]
Online Talk: Mary Barton’s Manchester
onlineBack by popular demand, Dr Diane Duffy leads us on a literary journey of discovery to the places, buildings and landmarks of Manchester as featured in Elizabeth Gaskell’s first novel Mary Barton, with extracts from the text to map the way. This fascinating talk will interest anyone who wants to find out more about historical […]