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本論文中，我利用雷蒙‧威廉斯的文化唯物論，來分析伊莉莎白‧蓋茲凱爾的第二本「社會問題小說」《北與南》中所呈現出的經濟制度、社會與文化間的關係，並進一步探討蓋茲凱爾對維多利亞時代的社會問題所提出的「解決方案」。 由於《北與南》這本小說的主要焦點在於工業化資本主義規章與生活型態的討論，故一直以來，《北與南》所接受的批評也多屬於社會議題層面，與其相關的解決之道，多數批評家，尤其是馬克斯主義的批評家，多半批評蓋茲凱爾試圖以「資本主義」架構解決當代的經濟與社會問題，但我則認為玆凱爾並非完全認同資本主義文化，而是藉由小說中所呈現出的各種衝突，塑造一種新興文化，=而威廉斯理論中有關「下層結構」與「上層結構」之間，以及殘留、統治、與新興這三種文化間的辦證關係，不僅能讓我門重新衡量經濟、社會與文化間的關係，更提供了閱讀蓋茲凱爾小說的另一種文化觀點。 / In this thesis, I apply Raymond Williams's theory of cultural materialism to analyze the relationships among the economic system, society, and culture presented by Elizabeth Gaskell in her second "social-problem" novel, North and South, and thus to examine Gaskell's "solution" to her contemporary social problems. With its focus on the dominant philosophy of industrial capitalism, North and South has received repeated criticism on several social issues and their related solutions. When most critics, especially the Marxist critics, attack Gaskell's "capitalist" solutions to economic and social problems in her society, I argue that Gaskell actually portrays an emergent culture within various conflicts in her novel. Williams's convepts of dialectical relationship between "the base" and "the super-stucture," and among the residual, the dominant, and the emergent cultures not only help to re-evaluate relations among economy, society, and culture, but also offer a cultural reading of Gaskell's novel.

This diploma thesis deals with the analysis of nine gothic tales by an English writer of the nineteenth century Elizabeth Gaskell. These gothic tales are compared with the first gothic novels and gothic literature in general. Their analysis is carried out on the basis of spaces, heroes and themes which appear in E. Gaskell´s gothic tales. The diploma thesis reveals in which aspects Gaskell´s tales are different from the first gothic novels and which new themes, heroes and spaces were introduced by E. Gaskell. An important part of the diploma thesis consists of a brief biography of Elizabeth Gaskell. The events which influenced Gaskell´s work are especially emphasized. The diploma thesis also mentions several other authors whose works inspired E. Gaskell in writing her gothic tales.

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This essay identifies a type of narrative dissonance in the depictions of working-class conditions within Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life and George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London. In this thesis, the dissonance is argued in part to be the effect created when an author belonging to one social class attempts to portray a class separate from their own. According to Marxist views, class constructs are well-defined and exist in opposition to one another. As such, there is a distinction between describing circumstances while viewing from outside and portraying conditions from within a class consciousness one does not share. The contrast between these perspectives introduces a discordant element into the narrative which interferes with a reader’s immersion. Furthermore, instances of both intranarrational and extratextual unreliability exacerbate the peculiar sense of dissonance when those elements conflict with the experiences of the reader. Understanding and sympathizing with the experiences of the Other, while beneficial in many regards, should not be conflated with knowledge of their lived experience. In order to establish this distinction, a close reading of the books, highlighting examples, is utilized. Additionally, by way of further explanation, Althusser’s concept of “internal distantiation” is used to define conflicting class viewpoints as a contributing factor to the dissonance perceived.

My thesis explores why beauty became so much more important in nineteenth-century Britain, especially for marriageable young women in the upper and middle class. My argument addresses the consequences of that change in the status of beauty for plain or ugly women, how this social shift is reflected in the novel, and how authors respond to the issue of plainer women and issues of their marriageability. I look at how these authorial attitudes shifted over the century, observing that the issue of plain women and their marriageability was dramatized by nineteenth-century authors, whose efforts to heighten the audience's awareness of the plight of plainer women can be traced by contrasting novels written early in the century with novels written mid-century. I argue that beauty gained more significance for young women in nineteenth-century England because the marriage ideal shifted, a shift which especially influenced the upper and middle class. The eighteenth century brought into marriage concepts such as Rousseau's "wife-farm principle" the idea that a man chooses a significantly younger child-bride, mentoring and molding her into the woman he needs. But by the end of the century the ideal of marriage moved to the companionate ideal, which opted for an equal partnership. That ideal was based on the conception that marriage was based on personal happiness hence should be founded on compatibility and love. The companionate ideal became more influential as individuality reigned among the Romantics. The new ideal of companionate marriage limited parents' influence on their children's choice of spouse to the extent that the choice lay now largely with young men. Yet that choice was constrained because young men and women were restricted by social conventions, their social interaction limited. Thus, according to my reading of nineteenth-century authors, the companionate ideal was a charade, as young men were not able to get to know women well enough to determine whether or not they were compatible. So instead of getting to know a young woman's character and her personality, they distinguished potential brides mainly on the basis of appearance.