Elizabeth Gaskell’s Short Stories – An Introduction

Description Comedy. Tragedy. Sensationalism. Realism. Gothic. Journalism. Elizabeth Gaskell was more than a novelist. Her short stories have got it all. Join popular speaker Elizabeth Williams for this intriguing introduction to a different side of Elizabeth Gaskell’s story-telling. Better known for her classic novels, Elizabeth Gaskell was a prolific writer of short stories. Charles Dickens knew this and encouraged her to write for his literary magazine. Works like the much-loved Cranford started as short stories. Others, like Libbie Marsh’s Three Eras and Lizzie Leigh, drew on themes of female friendship, industrialism and class relations that would later feature in novels such as Mary Barton or North and South. So, where did Elizabeth Gaskell get her ideas from? What inspired her to write in this format and why did she cover so many genres? Now you can find all the answers and more in this unique introduction. This is storytelling like you’ve never heard before. ‘Outstanding talk with such interesting comments on Victorian society and literature. The references to Gaskell’s & other books really bring the topic alive.’ Audience member. Recorded January 2026. On purchase, you will be sent a link to this talk. Please note, due to the file size it may take a few minutes for the talk to load.