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 […]
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 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 […]
« 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 […]
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 twenties centuries - including what Eliot said about Gaskell's work. How much do we agree with these various points of view and how well have […]
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 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 […]
« 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 by Michelle D. Ravenscroft (Manchester Metropolitan UniversityManchester-born Isabella Banks is best known for her popular novel, The Manchester Man (1876). Set against the backdrop of […]
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 lay flowers on the nearby grave of the Gaskell Society's founder, the much-missed Joan Leach. We then go into the chapel for a special service, […]
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 RECORDING ACCESS – Isabella Banks’s Tales of Two Cities 26 September , 10:30 am - 9 October , 11:30 pm This year's Joan Leach Memorial Lecture was […]
« 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 […]
« All Events Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell – Far From the Madding Crowd 28 October , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm £5 – £6 Dr Diane Duffy continues her […]
« All Events 4 November , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm “That Wicked Paris”: Fashioning the Good Englishwoman £5 – £6 We're absolutely delighted to welcome Professor Amy L. Montz […]
A talk by Dr Julia Allen These two women were regarded as being outstanding authors during the times in which they lived. Mary Sidney Herbert (1561-1621) is mainly associated with […]
« All Events Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell – Far From the Madding Crowd 25 November , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm £5 – £6 Dr Diane Duffy continues her […]
Anthony Burton, one of our most popular speakers, returns for his annual festive lecture - now a traditional part of every Gaskell Society Christmas celebration. Elizabeth Gaskell liked to spend […]
« All Events Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell – Far From the Madding Crowd 27 January , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm £5 – £6 Dr Diane Duffy continues her […]
The term grand tour conjures up English aristocrats sent to the Continent to complete their cultural education. Less well known is the reverse grand tour. In the first half of […]
« All Events Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell – Far From the Madding Crowd 24 February , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm £5 – £6 Dr Diane Duffy continues her […]