‘Libbie Marsh’s Three Eras’

June was not the most prolific of months in Gaskell’s publishing calendar.  Cranford first appeared in book form in June 1853, ‘My Lady Ludlow’ began as a serial in Household […]

Six Weeks at Heppenheim (1862)

Only four pieces of Gaskell’s writing were published in May: the last two episodes of Cranford, an obscure piece entitled ‘Company Manners’ (1854) and the short story, “Six Weeks at Heppenheim”. […]

Fever in Eccleston! Ruth, Chapter 33

While reading Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel Ruth in connection with another project, I came across some passages that seemed uncannily apt to our own situation – the Great Fever of 2020. As […]

The Women of Cranford – Part 2

Cranford is presented as an isolated community rooted in the past and inwardly focused on the minutiae of domestic routine and etiquette, yet the town has a railway; a dynamic […]

The Women of Cranford – Part 1

For April’s ‘This Month in Writing’ I have chosen to discuss Cranford as two episodes of the story were published in Household Words in April 1852 and April 1853. These […]

A Dark Night’s Work

Published in 1863, ‘A Dark Night’s Work’ was first serialised in Dickens’ periodical All The Year Round between January and March 1862. Despite its title, it is predominantly a psychological exploration […]

The Old Nurse’s Story

‘The Old Nurse’s Story’ can be found in collections of Gothic stories, ghost stories and tales of the macabre, something which might seem odd for a woman who was the […]