« All Events Gaskell Society Annual General Meeting 2026 18 April , 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Free Our Annual General Meeting takes place at Cross Street Chapel in Manchester10.00 Tea and Coffee10.30 Annual General Meeting11.45 The Daphne Carrick Memorial Lecture The Rural Idyll and the Changing World: Challenging Conventionality in the Novels of Elizabeth […]
Since its publication in 1857, Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Life of Charlotte Brontë has divided opinion. Some critics suggest it is historically unreliable – perhaps Gaskell’s sources were flawed and maybe […]
« All Events Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell – Far From the Madding Crowd 28 April , 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm £5 – £6 Dr Diane Duffy continues her […]
This introductory talk by the Gaskell Society's Vice Chair, Libby Tempest, explores the relationship between two giants of nineteenth century literature. Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell were opposites in many ways. Yet they were profoundly interested in each other’s work and lives. Their first meeting in the Lake District in 1850 led to a real […]
Elizabeth Gaskell’s famous biography, The Life of Charlotte Brontë went a considerable way to creating the myth of the famous writer living up on the moors. But what of the image of Charlotte’s two groundbreaking literary sisters, Emily and Anne Brontë? How has our view of these trailblazing writers changed over the years? Emily Brontë’s […]
Our 2026 conference takes place in Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England. Our theme is literary links and we'll be exploring Elizabeth Gaskell's links with other writers and editors, cultures of risk, economic realities, communities, fairy tales and sensation fiction. We've assembled an excellent line-up of speakers from all over the world. There'll also be outings and […]