North and South

Setinthemid-19thcentury,andwrittenfromtheauthor'sfirst-handexperience,NorthandSouthfollowsthestoryoftheheroine'smovementfromthetranquilbutmoribundwaysofsouthernEnglandtothevitalbutturbulentnorth.ElizabethGaskell'sskilfulnarrativeusesanunusuallovestorytoshowhowpersonalandpublicliveswerewoventogetherinanewlyindustrialsociety.Thisisataleofhard-wontriumphs-ofrationalthoughtoverprejudiceandofhumanecareoverblinddeferencetothemarket.Readersinthetwenty-firstcenturywillfindthemselvesabsorbedasthisVictoriannoveltracestheoriginsofproblemsandpossibilitieswhicharestillchallengingahundredandfiftyyearslater:thecomplexrelationships,publicandprivate,betweenmenandwomenofdifferentclasses.