Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
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The Life of Charlotte Brontë Volume 1 by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is a meticulously crafted biography that delves into the life and times of one of literature's most enigmatic figures, Charlotte Brontë. Gaskell's work provides an intimate portrait of Brontë, exploring her personal struggles, literary genius, and the societal pressures she faced as a female writer in the 19th century.
The biography is not just a recounting of Brontë's life...
2) Cranford
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A gently comic picture of life in an English country town in the mid-nineteenth century, Cranford describes the small adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged spinster sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Rich with humor and filled with vividly memorable characters?including the dignified Lady Glenmire and the duplicitous showman Signor Brunoni?Cranford is a portrait of kindness, compassion, and hope.
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An enchanting tale of romance, scandal, and intrigue in the gossipy English town of Hollingford around the 1830s, Wives and Daughters tells the story of Molly Gibson, the seventeen-year-old daughter of a widowed country doctor. When her father remarries, she forms a close friendship with her new stepsister, the beautiful and worldly Cynthia, until they become love rivals for the affections of Squire Hamley's sons, Osbourne and Roger. When sudden illness...
4) Ruth
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Ruth is a young orphaned girl who works in a sweatshop. Mrs. Mason, Ruth's boss, runs the sweatshop in a respectable manner, earning a sterling reputation among her employees and society. However, the comfort and acclaim of Ruth's job is threatened when she attends a ball to repair any dresses that get torn during dancing. There, she meets an aristocratic man named Henry Bellingham, who is infamous for his immoral treatment of women and frivolous...
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Cranford is a sleepy northern town, but modern life, in the shape of the new railway, is pushing its way relentlessly towards it from Manchester, bringing with it new opportunities and excitement. The arrival of handsome young Doctor Harrison causes further agitation, not just because of his revolutionary methods but also because of his effect on the hearts of the ladies. Meanwhile, Miss Matty Jenkyns watches the comings and goings and remembers when,...
6) Cranford
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Masterpiece Theatre volume Masterpiece Classics
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Cranford, in 1842, is a market town in northwest England. It is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules. For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns, the arbiter of correctness, and Matty, her dumurring sister, the town is a hub of intrigue. Handsome new doctor Frank Harrison has arrived from London; a retired Captain and his daughters move...
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Miss Matty's house is full of life and bustle. Her dream of having a child in the house has been realized in the birth of Tilly, daughter of her maid Martha and carpenter Jem. Elsewhere, the shadow of the railway still looms, but the line has been halted five miles outside Cranford, a disaster as far as Captain Brown is concerned. Meanwhile, as Mr. Buxton returns to town with his son, William, and his niece, Erminia, Miss Matty becomes concerned about...