The Letters of Mrs. Gaskell

by Elizabeth Gaskell, Arthur Pollard, J.A.V. Chapple (Editor)

This collection of letters includes correspondence between Mrs Gaskell and over 100 correspondents including Carlyle, Ruskin, Rossetti, Dickens, and the Brownings. In addition Mrs Gaskell's own writing is considered, including her biography of Charlotte Bronte.

Genres: Victorian, Classics, Nonfiction

1040 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson (29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs. Gaskell, was an English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, and as such are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature.

AKA:
Елізабет Гаскелл (Ukrainian)

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of over 650 letters from the ready pen of Elizabeth Gaskell holds much appeal for both the scholar and the general reader.
Firstly, it is very well organised as an academic resource - the letters are presented chronologically (a task requiring some admirable detective work in the case of undated letters) but a numbering system at the head of each letter allows for speedy tracking of letters to an individual addressee. Literary and biographical indices facilitate cross-referencing (to literary works - Gaskell's and other authors; and to people - family, friends or notables of the day) and appendices provide detail on sources very diverse (an indication of the effort involved in collating such a publication). There is also detail on the physical qualities of the letters. Not sure how much of an advance on the previous edition this organisation represents, as I have never consulted it, but in respect of quantity, the editors do mention an increase of over 200 letters on an earlier edition.

As for the content of the letters themselves and what they tell us about the author, her life and times, this collection is a treasure chest. It is also entertaining - Gaskell writes with such good-humour (and human sympathy) but also with a directness that breathes life into all she talks about. Her acquaintance is enormous, but also of significant historical interest, for she was on friendly (or not so friendly!) terms with some key literary and/or intellectual figures ( Dickens, C Bronte, E Elliot Norton) but also several important social reformers/philanthropists (e.g. Sir J. Kay-Shuttleworth, Nightingale family). To add to the insights into 19th-century English society are the multitude of references to important activists, critics and artists of the day.

An appreciable amount of correspondence with her publisher (George Smith) throws light on author-publisher relationships at the time, and a few other details about 19th cent.publication (e.g. payment regimes). Then there are the letters which comment on some aspect or other of her researches or composition (some of most interesting of these letters were generated while Gaskell was engaged with C Bronte's biography - the scheming involved in trying to wrest letters from Mr Nicholls is especially amusing). Many incidental remarks give us insight into the life, conditions and culture/s of Manchester (the emblematic locale, in many ways, of the Industrial Revolution) but also take us away to 19th-century haunts of the English tourist on the Continent (where her memory often lingered).

Gaskell's eye for detail also leaves up with some memorable impressions of family and domestic life, particularly her own, and the chaos which surrounded her as she attempted to write - always interrupted, if not by household concerns, then by her constant stream of visitors or parish duties. One certainly comes away from these letters with the sense of a life absolutely crowded with people and demands - frustrating, but still borne well by a person fascinated with humanity in all its different forms.

A cover-to-cover read would not be everyone's cup of tea, but this is a fantastic book to dip into, especially if your interests lie with 19th century literary or social history, or in epistolography (an enormous diversity of tone, formality, approach and content make this a superb case study for the epistolographer), or simply in Gaskellian fiction and the world and woman behind it.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Letter of Mrs. Gaskell by J.A.V. Chapple is a remarkable book. I cannot imagine the painstaking work, organization and patience it must have taken to assemble such a volume. For those of us who read Chapple's book, we are all in his debt.

It is one thing to read a novel by an author; it is another to peek behind the curtain of their fiction to read their correspondence, and what a rich experience it is. Personal letters to family and friends, business letters to publishers and translators, letters of complaint, letters of praise and, of course, letters that directly concern the inspiration, insights and progress of their profession all unfold to give the reader a true picture of the artist, business person and mother behind the author.

I began reading this book to find out more background about Gaskell's Cranford. I ended by having a much deeper appreciation of Gaskell the person. There are wonderful biographies on authors. I now think it is time to seek out the letters of the authors as well since they yield such rich material. Indeed, what biographer can write without researching the author's letters?

[Lindenblatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

...the years of one's life are slipping away fast and every year seems to get busier and busier. - E. Gaskell, undated

My first thanks have to go to the editors of this book. Chapple and Pollard have collected, sorted and annotated around 750 letters written by Elizabeth Gaskell between 1832 and 1865. This must have been a painstaking effort as many of the letters were not properly dated.

My next thanks to Miss Marianne Gaskell, long dead, for ignoring (among other things) her mother's requests to burn her letters. These letters from mother to daughter are beautiful, tender and precious documents of the time.

Finally, thanks to Mrs Gaskell for being a witty, warm, cordial, pleasant and very busy letter writer. Amongst my favourite were those to her daughter Marianne ("My darling Polly"), her publisher George Smith and her American friend Charles Eliot Norton. And any that referenced her own or other Victorian writings and authors, of course.

There were so many beautiful lines, interesting nitbits about daily life, the writing and publishing process, holidays, family, health, houses, politics, I cannot name all. The whole, busy ("in great haste"), full life of Mrs Gaskell. This was pure joy to read and I am only sorry that is must end.

The funniest little event of late has been the arrival of a letter directed to
---Madame Gaskell, l'illustre auteur, Angleterre---
which had been two months travelling about England in search of my illustriousness; the mocking commentary on which was an envelope covered with 'Not Knowns'; a sight to be seen! - E. Gaskell to P. Nightingale, undated

PS: I wish this had been published in two volumes. This chunky chunk of a book could be carried nowhere and had to be supported by either a table or a belly at all times!

[93bcn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's my review.