North and South (1855 novel)
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| North and South | |
 Penguin cover of North and South |
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| Author | Elizabeth Gaskell |
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| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Industrial novel |
| Publisher | Chapman & Hall |
| Publication date | 1855 |
| Media type | Print () |
| ISBN | ISBN NA |
North and South is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in book form in 1855 originally appeared as a twenty-two-part weekly serial from September 1854 through January 1855 in the magazine Household Words, edited by Charles Dickens. The title indicates a major theme of the book: the contrast between the way of life in the industrial north of England and the wealthier south, although it was only under pressure from her publishers that Gaskell changed the title from its original, Margaret Hale.
The book is a social novel that tries to show the industrial North and its conflicts in the mid-19th century as seen by an outsider, a socially sensitive lady from the South. The heroine of the story, Margaret Hale, is the daughter of a Nonconformist minister who moves to the fictional industrial town of Milton after leaving the Church of England. The town is modeled after Manchester, where Gaskell lived as the wife of a Unitarian minister. Gaskell herself worked among the poor and knew at first hand the misery of the industrial areas.
The change of lifestyle shocks Margaret, who sympathizes deeply with the poverty of the workers and comes into conflict with John Thornton, the owner of a local mill, also a friend of her father. After an encounter with a group of strikers, in which Margaret attempts to protect Thornton from the violence, he proposes to her, telling her that he is in love with her; she rejects his proposal of marriage, mainly because she sees it as if it were out of obligation for what she had done. Later, he sees her with her fugitive brother, whom he mistakes for another suitor, and this creates further unresolved conflict. Margaret, once she believes she has lost his affection, begins to see him in another light, and eventually they are reunited.
When the story was published as a book, it included a preface stating that because of restrictions of the magazine format, the author was unable to develop the story as she wished and as such "various short passages have been inserted, and several new chapters added."
[edit] Characters
- Miss Margaret Hale — The protagonist
- Mr. John Thornton — The owner of a local mill, a friend and student of Margaret's father.
- Nicholas Higgins — An industrial worker who Margaret befriends. He has two daughters, Bessy and Mary.
- Mrs. Thornton — Mr. Thornton's mother, who dislikes Margaret
- Bessy — Nicholas Higgins's daughter, who suffers from a fatal illness
- Mr. Richard Hale — Margaret's father, a dissenter who leaves his vicarage in Helstone to work as a private tutor in Milton
- Mrs. Maria Hale — Margaret's mother
- Dixon — A servant of the Hales, very loyal and devoted to Mrs. Hale
- Mr. Bell — An old friend of Mr. Hale, god-father to Margaret and her brother
- Mrs. Shaw — Margaret's aunt, Edith's mother, and Mrs. Hale's sister
- Edith — Margaret's cousin, married to Captain Lennox
- Mr. Henry Lennox — A young lawyer, brother of Captain Lennox. Margaret refuses his suits early in the story
- Frederick Hale — Margaret's older brother, a fugitive living in Spain since his involvement in a mutiny while serving in the British Navy
[edit] Television adaptations
Two television serials based on Gaskell's novel were produced by the BBC. 1975's North and South featured Rosalind Shanks as Margaret Hale and Patrick Stewart as John Thornton. 2004's North & South featured Daniela Denby-Ashe and Richard Armitage respectively in these roles.
[edit] External links
- North and South, available at Project Gutenberg.
- North and South – complete book in HTML one page for each chapter.
- free downloads in pdf, pdb and lit formats
- in Mobipocket format
- Read aloud by volunteers in MP3 format (free, public domain)
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