Colour print showing a scared woman reading by candlelight.

What's On

Online Talk: Ann Radcliffe and the Female Gothic – ‘A genius of no common stamp’

Get ready for a spooky night of literature as we celebrate the bicentenary of Ann Radcliffe, the ‘mighty magician’ of horror and the gothic. Once the highest paid author of the 1790s, Radcliffe’s most famous works include The Romance of the Forest and The Mysteries of Udolpho.

Black an white print of woman finding man dead in bed by candlelight behind curtain.

Her writing was lauded by Walter Scott and influenced generations of women writers including Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, the Brontës, Charlotte Perkin Gilmore and Daphne Du Maurier.

But beyond the crumbling castles and scary supernatural scenes, what does Radcliffe have to say about women, marriage and maternity?

Join Dr Diane Duffy for all the answers and more in this terrifying talk.

I was impressed at the knowledge of Dr Duffy. She is an interesting speaker.’ Visitor to online event

Wednesday 25 October, 7-8pm

Tickets £5

The talk will be approx 45 mins long, with time for a short question session afterwards

**Refer to your e-ticket for joining instructions and links. Please check your spam/junk mail for ticket. This talk will also be recorded and all ticketholders will receive a link to the recording via TicketSource after the event.**

If you have any questions about this event, please see our Frequently Asked Questions.

You can also support the House by buying books and gifts from our online shop via this link.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s House is run by Manchester Historic Buildings Trust (charity no. 1080606) and all money gained through private tours, talks, room hire and ticket sales goes towards the ongoing maintenance and running costs of the House. If you would like to support the House with an additional donation you can do so via this link.

25th Oct 2023

7pm - 8pm

Talk, Talks

We've got a house...it certainly is a beauty...I must try and make the house give as much pleasure to others as I can.’

Elizabeth Gaskell, in a letter to her friend Eliza Fox in 1850.