The Dream of a Ridiculous Woman: Elizabeth Gaskell: Why Wasn't I Told About This?

Last weekend’s big discovery was the author Elizabeth Gaskell. I was hungry for British Period Drama and boy did I find a good one. North and South (not to be confused with American Period Drama North and South). A romantic tale of a young woman uprooted from her country life in southern England and transplanted to a northern England industrial town where she just may find love. And there’s social commentary on 1850s industrial revolution and management worker relations. A bit Jane Austen and a bit Charles Dickens, the miniseries is based on a novel called North and South written by Elizabeth Gaskell in 1865. And the miniseries is fantastic. From skimming the book at Project Gutenberg, it seems equally fantastic.*

(*)Plot-wise it seems fantastic. Gaskell’s writing, as far as my skimming reveals, has none of the punch, wit and pacing that Austen uses. Gaskell’s writing however, does get a smidgen more explicit as to the romantic nature of certain interactions and feelings. A reflection of the times in which the two authors wrote I believe.

The tale shows delightful nods to Pride and Prejudice: the heroine, Miss Hale, rejects the hero’s, Mr. Thornton's, marriage proposal because she is too proud and he is too prejudiced; Miss Hale is plucky, independent, intelligent, poor and proud. Mr. Thornton is outwardly tough, and inwardly kind and thoughtful. (He's a bit of a mamma's boy too, but his mom totally rocks, so it's okay). Only in this tale Ms. Gaskell more clearly outlines the hero’s motivations. (Probably because Ms. Gaskell was willing to write scenes and dialog from the hero’s perspective, and Ms. Austen was unwilling to speculate on a man’s inner thoughts.)

I thoroughly enjoyed the miniseries. My only disappointments were that I did not read the book first and that I am introduced to Miss Hale and Mr. Thornton later rather than sooner.

How is it my 9^th grade English teacher could forcibly introduce me to Dickens, passionately encourage me to read more Jane Austen, and not mention Dickens’s female contemporary who took some cues from Miss Austen? How? Well, I forgive her. One, because I’ve forgotten her name. And, two, because she also forced me to read The Odyssey and Richard III both of which have bettered my outlook on life and culture. Seriously, an author whose stories I could have been swooning over as a giddy teenager!! Something to sate my Austen thirst!! How have I gone this long through life without knowing you, Ms. Gaskell?

But really girls (and guys). Fans of Austen and Dickens, you (and I) must read Ms. Gaskell. Then see the miniseries(es). Masterpiece recently presented Cranford, a miniseries (less about love and more about women surviving in changing times) based on a Gaskell novel and other short stories. Less recently, Masterpiece presented Wives and Daughters, another miniseries based on a Gaskell novel. These tales are old enough that project Gutenberg has them and they can be read online. No library necessary!

So go about it the proper way: book, then film adaptation. And fall in love with some more independent minded heroines and some brand new austere but tender hearted heroes. There’s room up on the Lizzie Bennet/Ann Elliot pedestal. (Nobody puts Emma on a pedestal). And there’s room in the Darcy/Knightly/Wentworth literary crush box. Please consider Miss Hale’s and Mr. Thornton’s applications.

North and South, the novel, available via Project Gutenberg
North and South, the miniseries, available thanks to a kind soul at youtube