Writing Home – House & Home in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Literature

Description “Oh, I can’t describe my home. It is home, and I can’t put its charm into words” Margaret Hale, North and South, 1855 The stereotype of the Victorian home is a place of domestic bliss with an angelic woman caring for her devoted family. But how did Elizabeth Gaskell portray ‘home’ in her novels and short stories? Did she subvert this ideal or gently endorse it? In Writing Home, speaker Sherry Ashworth interrogates the meaning of ‘home’. She looks at literary depictions, both good and bad, across Elizabeth Gaskell’s writing. For instance, you can enjoy the cosy houses of the amazons of the classic Cranford, then step inside the respectable working-class homes in Mary Barton or see the reality of industrial strife and starvation in North and South. Join us from the comfort of your own home as Sherry asks… what did house and home mean to Elizabeth Gaskell? ‘Loved it… gained many insights into the books.’ Visitor to previous event. Recorded April 2025 as part of our 10th anniversary celebrations. 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.