Elizabeth Gaskell’s "Wives and Daughters"

Elizabeth Gaskell started her writing career in her late thirties. She went on to becoming an accomplished writer in the Victorian British Literature. All of Gaskell’s novels droned on about the consist stigma poor people had to endure at the hands of society’s powerful and wealthy. She managed to branch away from her constant rambles of the poverty of the Englanders, just to write a biography about her dear friend Charlotte Bronte which almost resulted in a lawsuit by family and friends of Bronte. With critics delivering harsh words to Gaskell for annoyance about the plight of the poor, they could never deny her skills as a writer, which lead to her success as a writer. Her last novel was Wives and Daughters, which was published in 1864 by Cornhill Magazine. Another author had to finish the ending for her.

Brief Summary of Wives and Daughters:

Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters are readings of ramblings of a lunatic about the poverty conditions of the people in England.

Elizabeth Gaskell’s, Wives and Daughters is centered on the main character Molly Gibson. She’s the daughter of the local town doctor Dr. Gibson. The premature death of Molly’s mother, forced the father to be both parents to the young girl. Over the years, the father and daughter duo managed to build a bond that was strong, loving and caring.

Just a few miles up the road lived the Hamley family. The Hamley family has a close connection with the Gibson family. Squire Hamley and his wife have two sons, Osborne and Roger. With both sons’ away at Cambridge University to become scholar’s in their rightful field, the father is home tending to his sickly wife. Sometimes Squire Hamley would ask Dr. Gibson if Molly could come by for a visit because his wi...

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...ly and friends until she was able to care for herself.

Elizabeth married a minister by the name of William Gaskell. Both of them were big on ministry and charity work that pertain to the poor. The Gaskell’s had six children. He encouraged her to write to eleveate the sadness she was experiencing since her father’s death.

Critical Review:

The novel was a bit boring and the rhythm was somewhat so, but overall it was an ok book. All of her novels portray the same theme about her liberal views and why social reform is needed in England. I’m a little tired of her tyrant.

Works Cited

Gaskell, Elizabeth. Wives and Daughters. Ed. Angus Easson. USA New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.

Gaskell, Elizabeth. “Gender Matters.” Victorian Web.

. Web. 25 August 2000.

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