elizabeth gaskell wives and daughters summary

In a way, the image of a young gentleman standing on a sidewalk in the rain is much more enduring than several pages of lovers' confessions and professions. The last scene we are left with, however, perseveres partly because it was in fact the last. There are no surprises for us here, but it would have been nice to read it in her own words. Her editor, Frederick Greenwood, wrote an appended section describing what Gaskell had planned for the remaining chapters in her notes. When Gaskell died suddenly in 1865, Wives and Daughters was not quite complete. It wouldn't be surprising if Eliot were influenced by Gaskell, as Middlemarch came seven years later. In it's sheer number of social themes and unique characters, Wives and Daughters bears a strong resemblance to Eliot's Middlemarch. Wives and Daughters doesn't include the very poor social strata that was in North and South, however economic troubles do visit several major characters. While Gaskell enjoyed portraying romantic relationships in her novels, she was also intensely interested in social themes. The latter is not such an exciting read as the former, but it gives a more lingering impact and marks Gaskell as a mature and thought-provoking novelist rather than a sentimentalist. This is contrasted with mature and deeper love that grows slowly and selflessly.

We see arbitrary and consuming love turned into disillusionment. We do not see love at first sight or passionate attachment that, pursued faithfully, makes up a happy ending. She is also part of a cast of four young people whose romantic interactions are portrayed with striking realism. Molly's friends and acquaintances make up all we know of this quaint, country town. The story revolves around Molly Gibson, the only daughter of a widowed doctor living in an English town in the 1830s. Wives and Daughters was first published as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866 in the Cornhill Magazine. Wives and Daughters may be downloaded for free from our ebook catalog.

Elizabeth gaskell wives and daughters summary