Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels have been praised for their depiction of contemporary society and for giving the voiceless working-class a voice. Her two novels Mary Barton (1848) and North and South (1854) are referred to as industrial novels, giving a contemporary depiction of nineteenth century England. However, Gaskell did receive contemporary criticism for being biased in her first novel, Mary Barton, by not givingthe upper class an adequate and honest depiction. This essay argues that North and South gives a more impartial impression by including a greater complexity with the use of more perspectives and contrasts, and that ultimately this is a response to the critique of Mary Barton. By analysing the mixed genres, the different perspectives of settingand select characters in North and South, and comparing it to Mary Barton, this essay aims to highlight the extensive inherent complexity of North and South. Comparisons between the novels North and South and Mary Barton have been done in earlier journal articles and essays, but never with the focus on the difference in relation to earlier criticism. Therefore this essay could contribute to future research in the sense of suggesting a possible reason for Gaskell’s choice or development in her complex depiction of society.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:su-214124 |
| Date | January 2022 |
| Creators | Lindfors, Carl Anton |
| Publisher | Stockholms universitet, Engelska institutionen |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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