November 2017: Mary Barton: Information about Elizabeth Gaskell, Plus Chapters 1-10 (No Spoilers!)

[☯Emily , The First]

This thread is to learn about Elizabeth Gaskell, the author of Mary Barton as well as to discuss the first ten chapters of the book. Please be careful that you don't reveal information about the rest of the book in this thread.

[☯Emily , The First]

Because the English called Elizabeth Gaskell, Mrs. Gaskell, I have always thought of her as a prim, modest, elderly woman full of good works. However, the following biography shows that she was a lively, progressive woman who loved her family and her neighbors and was generous towards all. http://gaskellsociety.co.uk/elizabeth...

[☯Emily , The First]

A note to my fellow readers: Do not read any introductions that your book may have. Mine has major spoilers! You can read the intro after you read the book. However, you should read the preface to the book, which is right before chapter 1.

[☯Emily , The First]

The last sentence of the preface refers to recent events on the Continent. Mrs. Gaskell published Mary Barton in 1848, a tumultuous year in Europe. Uprisings occurred all over Europe. Sparknotes gives a good summary of the rebellions and the failure to make lasting changes. http://www.sparknotes.com/history/eur...

[☯Emily , The First]

If anyone is interested in reading another book with much of the same themes, you can read Hard Times by Charles Dickens, published in 1854, several years after Mary Barton was published. In 2009, I read both books for a class I was taking and it was this experience that convinced me that Elizabeth Gaskell was a much better writer than Charles Dickens. Read it and see if you agree.

[Charlene]

I have to finish up my book club book then I can start Mary Barton.

[Anastasia Kinderman, The Only]

I have Mary Barton and would like to participate. I will if I can. I still haven't finished our last book though and I had intended to participate in that discussion.

[Carol]

Anastasia wrote: "I have Mary Barton and would like to participate. I will if I can. I still haven't finished our last book though and I had intended to participate in that discussion."

Anastasia, if you read Ship of Fools, I look forward to hearing your thoughts whenever.

[Anastasia Kinderman, The Only]

Carol wrote: "Anastasia wrote: "I have Mary Barton and would like to participate. I will if I can. I still haven't finished our last book though and I had intended to participate in that discussion."

Anastasia,..."

I will make an effort to finish it then. :)

[Charlene]

I finished up chapter 10 last night.

Wow, there are a lot of deaths in the first 10 chapters. I am not even sure I can remember everyone.

I am torn as to my first impression of Mary. She comes across as vain and spoiled, but genuinely seems to care about others. Perhaps it is time period related, but most of the people I know that are vain and spoiled are self centered.

[Charlene]

Did anyone else see similarities between Mary Barton and Helen Huntingdon from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?

[Lisa]

I've just started, listening to this as an audiobook. The narrator's accent was tough to understand at first.

Thought the beginning was pretty sad. Enjoying the characters.

[Lisa]

What is Witsuntide? Christmas time?

[Charlene]

I figured it was a holiday that isn't celebrated anymore sort of like Michealmas.

[Lisa]

https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/show...

[Lisa]

https://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/show...

[Lisa]

Charlene wrote: "Did anyone else see similarities between Mary Barton and Helen Huntingdon from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?"

Hi Charlene, I read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall years ago. What similarities are you seeing.

[Charlene]

Lisa wrote: "Charlene wrote: "Did anyone else see similarities between Mary Barton and Helen Huntingdon from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall?"

Hi Charlene, I read [book:The Tenant of Wildfell Hall|33..."

Besides the fact that both authors are related to clergy. Religious tones are present in both books.

At this point in the book, Mary and Helen are similar as they are both naïve young women who get involved with a man they should have avoided. Both women are pretty and do attract attention. Also both women know they are pretty too.

So I have read to chapter 25 and that may be where the similarities end. Without trying to give too much away, I feel like Helen had the harsher lesson on human nature than Mary did.

[Anastasia Kinderman, The Only]

Gaskell knew the Brontes, right?

[Charlene]

Anastasia wrote: "Gaskell knew the Brontes, right?"

I am not sure about Emily or Anne, but I thought she knew Charlotte Bronte. She was the first to write a biography on Charlotte.

Since Mary Barton is Gaskell's first book (published in 1848), I would assume she didn't know any of the Brontes yet.

Just to note Anne's Tenant of Wildfell Hall is also published in 1848.

[☯Emily , The First]

Charlotte met Mrs. Gaskell in 1850, a year after Anne Bronte died.

[Mizzou]

Lisa, it's "Whitsuntide" is the week beginning with Whitsunday and especially the first three days of this week. Whitmonday is the day after Whitsunday observed as a legal holiday in England, Wales, and Ireland.
Charlene: "Church" and "State" seem to have a symbiotic relationship in England, with certain days in the Anglican church calendar having the status of 'legal' holidays.
Gaskell herself was a Unitarian, and (though I haven't read deeply into the novel yet), I would not be at all surprised to ind "religious tones present."
It was interesting to find Mrs. Gaskell interrupting her narrative to give her opinion, in these early chapters (author's privilege?).
I find this work of 19th century literature not at all difficult to read, and reckon that is so because of all the practice in reading I've done in decades past (I'll be 90 in February next).
P.S. The judicious use of punctuation in the text does help. I still have to use the glossary or footnotes to understand the Britishisms. though.

[Anastasia Kinderman, The Only]

So thus far in reading I feel like Mary is more spoiled than Helen. She does have a good heart but she can definitely be inconsiderate.

[Mizzou]

This novel seems to be a unique blend of 'fiction' and 'non-fiction', what with a cast of fictional characters and Mrs. Gaskell's reports on the socio-economic conditions that prevailed then and there, in Manchester. . . as if it was being written by a social welfare worker/novelist.