The Gaskells’ relationship with the Portico Library is well-documented. A bust of William Gaskell sits in the Library, honouring his tenure as the Chairman - the longest running Chairman in […]
Many critics have considered the similarities between these two texts, thus suggesting one having influenced the other. Eliot’s reputation has been such that there is often an assumption that Gaskell […]
Manchester is the dramatic backdrop to literary classics, such as Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, and lesser-known works, such as Isabella Banks’s The Manchester Man. The city has been at the forefront of industrial change and political radicalism but what about literature? How have events from the Industrial Revolution to Peterloo inspired writers? How are the lives of […]
Available until 30 November 2024. Hannah Palmer, a PhD student at Loughborough University, talks about her research into abortion and maternal histories in nineteenth-century literature and culture. Her thesis explores these issues in Gaskell’s letters and comments more generally on Gaskell’s role within her community. This is a recording of a talk Hannah gave to […]
Elizabeth Gaskell, Celebrity: How she coped with fame In ordinary life, Elizabeth Gaskell enjoyed a certain status in Manchester as the wife of a prominent clergyman. But she soon achieved fame in her own right, through her writings. This talk, by Anthony Burton, explains how these appeared at first anonymously, then under the names ‘E. […]
Named as ‘Manchester’s best second-hand book sale‘ the Elizabeth Gaskell’s House second-hand book sale is a must visit for book lovers. Held within Manchester’s very own literary house, there are two rooms packed full of second-hand books of all genres. You can browse a wide variety of good quality contemporary fiction, crime, thrillers, classics, OS maps, biographies, […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, Ruth and Mary Barton with a focus on the characters of Hetty Sorrel, Ruth and Aunt […]
« All Events Paris Conference: Elizabeth Gaskell – Revolutionary 3 April - 4 April Free Campus des Grands Moulins, Université Paris CitéThis conference explores Gaskell’s unorthodoxies, including her keen observation of a society grappling with social upheavals, her advocacy of the marginalised, and her challenge to conventions. There are 16 papers, the majority from well-known […]
« 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 Coffee 10.30 Annual General Meeting 11.45 The Daphne Carrick Memorial Lecture ‘It is only to the […]
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 from the nineteenth and […]
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 […]
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 […]
« All Events A visit to Capesthorne Hall 7 July , 12:30 pm - 5:00 pm “I admire Mrs Davenport the more and more I see of her” Join us for an informal visit to Capesthorne, Cheshire home to the Davenport family. Make your own way to this impressive and interesting location just a few […]
Elizabeth Gaskell's House presents a new online course. Literature is full of impressive female characters and now you can enjoy four feisty females from your favourite novelists with a new online course from Elizabeth Gaskell’s House! So join Sherry Ashworth this autumn/winter for cosy nights in with other literature fans to take a fresh look […]
of all the weary, killing wearing out bustles in this life that of the last week passed all belief’. Elizabeth Gaskell to her friend Eliza Fox, 1852 Elizabeth Gaskell was a modern woman in many ways. She managed a hugely successful writing career, was a hands-on mother to four girls and supported her husband’s work. […]
« All Events Autumn Meeting 2025 – Isabella Banks’s Tales of Two Cities 20 September , 10:30 am - 1:00 pm This year's Joan Leach Memorial Lecture will be given […]
Every year, on a Sunday close to what would have been Elizabeth Gaskell's birthday, we lay flowers on Elizabeth Gaskell's grave (10.45am) at Brook Street Chapel in Knutsford. We also […]
Join Curator Elinor Camille-Wood as she takes you on fabulous fashion journey. You can find out more about the novel and tv adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s classic North and South. Take a peek at what characters like Margaret Hale would have worn in the 1850s, from large skirts to beautiful bonnets in an age of clothing […]
« All Events Samuel Bamford and the Gaskells 7 October , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm £5 – £6 We're delighted to welcome Robert Poole to our October meeting. He'll talk about the radical writer and reformer, Samuel Bamford (1788-1872), best known for his prominent role in the 1819 Peterloo demonstration in Manchester and his […]