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Online Talk: North and South – Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell

A new partnership event with The Dickens Society

One of Elizabeth Gaskell’s most famous guests at 84 Plymouth Grove was that giant of Victorian literature, Charles Dickens. Two of the biggest names in English literature regularly corresponded from 1850 onwards, and Charles Dickens edited Elizabeth in his weekly magazine Household Words as she wrote her much-loved novel, North and South. So did they actually get on? Did he influence her writing North and South? How did their work reflect shared concerns around poverty and class in ‘condition of England’ novels like Hard Times and North & South? And did he really say ‘If I was Mr G, O Heaven how I would beat her’? Join Dr Lydia Craig (The Dickens Society) and Anthony Burton (Elizabeth Gaskell’s House) for all the answers and more in this fascinating exploration of two groundbreaking writers.

After the event attendees will also be provided with a link to further information on the Elizabeth Gaskell and Charles Dickens papers at John Rylands Research Institute and Library.

Part of our North and South season

Lydia is an instructor of English at Lake Land College and an associate editor of The Charles Dickens Letters Project, which is funded by The Dickens Fellowship. Among other publications, she has contributed chapters and articles to The Theological Dickens (2021), Dickens and Women Reobserved (2020), Dickens Quarterly, and Dickens Studies Annual.

Anthony was a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum and is an English Literature graduate, with a special interest in Dickens and Gaskell. He was a Trustee of the Charles Dickens Museum and is a regular speaker for both Elizabeth Gaskell’s House and the Gaskell Society.

Wednesday 2 November, 7-8pm

£5 per ticket

**Refer to your e-ticket for joining instructions and links. Please check your spam/junk mail for ticket.**

You can also support the house by buying a copy of North and South from our online shop via this link.

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

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.