Blogs & News

: Online Talk: ‘A Flattering Malady’ – Disease and Dying in Victorian Fiction

“Consumption, I am aware, is a flattering malady” Charlotte Brontë, 1849Disease and dying were common hazards for characters in Victorian novels. For the modern reader, 19th century novels can sometimes seem packed full of sentimental deathbeds like Jo's death in Charles Dickens' Bleak House.The reality was that in 1800 approximately one in every three children died before their 5th birthday. Fatal diseases such as consumption were common for all ages and literature often reflected real life. In this new

: Online Talk: Writing to Change Hearts and Minds – Ruth and Other Reforming Novels

Elizabeth Gaskell is recognised as a giant of Victorian literature. Yet stories such as Ruth (1853) were also reforming novels aimed at changing public opinion. Her complex female characters and tales of industrial strife show she had plenty to say about contemporary class and sexual politics in tales like Mary Barton and North and South too. But Elizabeth Gaskell was not the only reform writer. How and why did authors like Charles Dickens, Charlotte Brontë, Charles Kingsley, Frances Trollope and Harriet

: Online Talk: The Real Ruth – Mapping Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth

Enjoy a literary journey of discovery as you go on a virtual visit to the places, buildings and landmarks featured in Elizabeth Gaskell’s shocking novel Ruth. Extracts from the book map the way to locations around Wales, Cheshire and the English countryside with speaker Dr Diane Duffy. Join us for a fascinating new insight into Elizabeth’s novel about Ruth, a ‘fallen woman’ in Victorian society.  You can delight in some beautiful 19th century writing and vivid descriptions along the

: Online Talk: Ruth – An Introduction

Our new season of Ruth events begins with a special introduction to Elizabeth Gaskell’s most shocking novel. Her story about a single mother was ‘banned, burned and denounced from the pulpit’ for its controversial storyline. So as the respectable wife of a Unitarian minister, why was Elizabeth Gaskell the first to tell the story of a ‘fallen woman’? How did her writing challenge contemporary stereotypes? What about Elizabeth’s real-life plea to Charles Dickens for help with a seduced teenager?

: Online Talk: The Season of Giving? Christmas in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Time

Celebrate the season of goodwill with a festive look at Victorian Christmas for those a little less able to afford a fat goose for their table. This special Christmas talk looks at attitudes to the poor and working classes from literature like A Christmas Carol to the reality of Victorian Manchester. There was a distinct tradition in England of sparing a thought for the poor at Christmastide. How did this work out in a harsh industrial place like Manchester? How did