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North and South

by Elizabeth Gaskell

About Author Elizabeth Gaskell

Background Information

Author

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865 often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of Victorian society, including the very poor. Her work is of interest to social historians as well as readers of literature.

Works

Works

  • Mary Barton, was published

anonymously in 1848.

The best-known of her remaining

novels are:

  • Cranford (1853),
  • North and South (1854)
  • Wives and Daughters (1865)

Victorian Era

The Victorian Era:

in British history, the period between approximately 1820 and 1914, corresponding roughly but not exactly to the period of Queen Victoria’s reign (1837–1901) and characterized by:

  • a class-based society
  • a growing number of people able to vote
  • a growing state and economy
  • Britain’s status as the most powerful empire in the world

It was the time of the world’s first Industrial Revolution, political reform and social change, Charles Dickens and Charles Darwin, a railway boom and the first telephone and telegraph.But the Victorian Era also saw a demise of rural life as cities rapidly grew and expanded, long and regimented factory hours, the start of the Crimean War and Jack the Ripper.

Characters

The Hale Family

Other Characters

Characters

Margaret Hale

Mr and Mrs Hale

Frederick Hale

Mrs Shaw/Edith Shaw

Dixon

Captain Lennox/Henry Lennox

Mr Bell

Nicholas Higgins

Bessy Higgins/Mary Higgins

John Boucher (Mrs Boucher)

Leonards

The Thornton Family

John Thornton

Mrs. Thornton

Fanny Thornton

Chapters 4 - 7

Main Events of the story

Plot

  • Margaret Hale is at her Aunt’s house in London, where she has been living for 10 years.

  • Margaret returns to the village of Helstone where her father was vicar.

  • Henry Lennox proposes to Margaret but she refuses him.

  • Margaret's father, Mr Hale, explains that he has doubts about the church and has decided to move the family to Milton (the industrial north)

  • Mr. Hale’s friend, Mr. Bell, helps the Hale family to find suitable housing in Milton- Northern, an industrial town in the North of England.

  • Margaret meets Mr Thornton for the first time. He is a manufacturer and runs a mill in Milton. Margaret also meets a factory worker, Nicholas Higgins and his daughter, Bessy.

Chapters 1 - 3

  • Mr. Hale becomes a private tutor and Margaret has to get used to life in the industrial north but shows disdain for tradesman and their way of life.

  • Mr. Thornton comes to the Hales’ house for tea and can’t take his eyes off Margaret. Margaret goes to Bessy’s house and learns that her illness is caused by the unhealthy working conditions. Mrs Hale is also becoming more and more unwell.

  • Mr. Hale and Mr Thornton discuss the strike and how he plans to bring in workers from Ireland. Margaret sympathizes with the workers.

  • The Doctor tells Margaret about Mrs Hale’s serious illness but Margaret wants to hide the truth from her father.

  • Margaret goes to Mr Thornton’s house to borrow a water bed for her mother, who is ill.

  • When an angry group of workers decide to go to Mr Thornton’s house and throw stones, Margaret decides to protect Mr Thornton by putting her arms around him to protect him.

  • As Mrs. Hale’s death is near, she begs her daughter to call her brother, Federick (Mrs Hale’s son) home. Margaret receives news of Bessy’s death.

  • When Mrs Thornton visits Mrs. Hale, Mrs. Hale asks her to be Margaret’s friend.

  • Frederick returns just in time to see Mrs. Hale, but shortly after he sees her, she dies.

  • At the station a man named Leonards recognizes Frederick.

  • A police inspector comes to see Margaret and she lies to protect Frederick

  • Mr Hale goes to see Mr Bell and passes away there, in his sleep.

Chapters 8 - 12

  • Mr Bell passes away.

  • Margaret inherits a great sum of money from Mr Bell.

  • Margaret returns to live with her Aunt in London.

  • One day Mr Thornton comes to visit as a guest of Henry Lennox.

  • Mr Thornton’s business had been destroyed by the strike and Margaret decides to help him as he has changed his relationship with the workers.

  • Margaret and John finally embrace and express their love for each other.

Chapters 13 -14

Themes

Themes

  • the contrast between the North and South

  • class struggle

  • pride

  • compassion and forgiveness

  • family

  • love

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