Blogs & News

: Online Talk: Vindication of the Rights of Woman – Mary Wollstonecraft’s Influence in the Writings of Elizabeth Gaskell.

We're celebrating the approach of International Women's Day with a focus on Mary Wollstonecraft, a pioneer of feminist thought in the UK, and her influence on Elizabeth Gaskell's writing. Wollstonecraft is firmly back in public consciousness, due to the head-turning new statue in her honour, by artist Maggi Hambling. Join us for this fascinating online talk with Dr Diane Duffy, as she examines the ways Wollstonecraft's ideas have informed Elizabeth Gaskell's work. Tickets £4 Refer to your e-ticket

: Online Talk: ‘A Grand Quarrel’ Between Elizabeth Gaskell and Florence Nightingale

What was the 'grand quarrel' between Elizabeth Gaskell and Florence Nightingale? Join us online to find out why these two eminent Victorian women disagreed over the role of mothers, and how each represented a different kind of feminism - long before feminism became a recognised movement. Author and psychotherapist Naomi Stadlen will explore the arguments that these two brilliant and original women put forth, and question whether we need to vote for one of them - or do

: Online Talk: Halloween – Elizabeth Gaskell’s Gothic Tales

*This event is now sold out*   Join us online for a spine-tingling talk, just in time for Halloween! Elizabeth Gaskell delighted in writing gothic tales and ghost stories. Explore these terrifying tales in our spellbinding Halloween talk by Dr Diane Duffy. Tickets are £3.     ** Ticket sales will cease one day before the event starts, in order to give us time to send out joining instructions** **Joining instructions will be sent via email on the

: Sylvia’s Lovers on Radio 4 Extra

Two part adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell's novel Sylvia's Lovers - available for 30 Days. Each episode is 1 hour. Click on the link below. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b073mh6k    

: Tales of Mystery & the Macabre social media read along

Emboldened by the enthusiasm of our followers and supporters we are now moving on to something a little different from Elizabeth Gaskell’s back catalogue, Tales of Mystery & the Macabre. This is a collection of short stories and we plan to discuss three stories specifically and then have a general discussion about the others in the final week. We hope that those who asked for Wives and Daughters or Cranford won’t be too disappointed – their time will come!