Cranford (novel)

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Cranford

Cranford is the best-known novel of the 19th century English writer Elizabeth Gaskell. It was first published in 1851 as a serial in the magazine Household Words, which was edited by Charles Dickens.

[edit] Plot

The fictional town of Cranford is closely modelled on Knutsford in Cheshire, which Mrs Gaskell knew well. The book has little in the way of plot and is more a series of episodes in the lives of Mary Smith and her friends, Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two spinster sisters. The "major" event in the story is the return to Cranford of their long-lost brother, Peter, which in itself is only a minor portion of the work, leaving the rest of the novel at a low-key tone.

[edit] Characters

• Mary Smith – The narrator. A woman frequently staying with Miss Matty.
• Miss Matty Jenkyns – An amiable and good-natured (though rather timid) old spinster.
• Miss Deborah Jenkyns – Miss Matty's imperious older sister. Dies early on in the novel.
• Miss Pole – Allegedly the most "reasonable" and "enlightened" of the Cranford ladies.
• Mrs. Jamieson – A widow with aristocratic connections. A mostly lethargic old woman.
• Mrs. Forrester – Another widow.
• Peter Jenkyns – The Jenkyns' long-lost brother, who returns from India at the end of the novel.
• Thomas Holbrook- Miss Matty's admirer and a farmer. He dies while on a trip to France.
• Captain Brown – A poor captain, who comes to live at Cranford with his two daughters.
• Jessie Brown – Captain Brown's daughter. After his and her sister's deaths, she marries and leaves Cranford.
• Lady Glenmire – Mrs. Jamieson's poor but aristocratic sister. Later marries Dr. Hoggins.
• Dr. Hoggins – The Cranford surgeon. A rough but friendly and well-meaning man.
• Martha – Miss Matty's maid. Later her landlady and companion at equal terms.
• Signor Brunoni – A travelling magician.

[edit] Adaptations

The novel has been twice adapted for television by the BBC. The first version was broadcast in 1972, with Gabrielle Hamilton as Miss Matty. The second version was broadcast in 2007. The 2007 version added the content of other stories by Gaskell: My Lady Ludlow, Mr. Harrison's Confessions and The Last Generation in England, all of which were broadcast as Cranford. Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins took the leading roles as Miss Matty and Miss Deborah Jenkyns, with Imelda Staunton cast as the town's gossip, Miss Pole, and Michael Gambon Miss Matty's former admirer, Mr Holbrook.

[edit] External links

• Uglow, Jenny. "Band of women", The Guardian, 3 November 2007. Retrieved on 2007-11-06. 

[edit] Online texts

• Cranford, available at Project Gutenberg.