North and South (Penguin Classics)

I agree with a lot that is written in the previous reviews here. Yes, there is a very slow start to this novel. I wonder whether that's because it was first serialized by Dickens, and Mrs. Gaskell was paid by the word. And, yes, the ending is rather abrupt, especially preceded by the last few slow chapters. Maybe Dickens lost his patience.
In so many ways, though, this novel is a treasure. It's not easy to write a political novel with a strong love story and good characterizations. Gaskell takes on quite a bit and mostly succeeds in her task of describing the changes industrialization brought to England. She balances her sympathy for the workers in the factories with the dilemmas posed to the mill owners by new machinery, competition from abroad, and the threats of potential workers' strikes. She contrasts very effectively the excitement of this new way of life against the nostalgia for the agrarian past. These were new concepts in Victorian England, but they are not so foreign today that we cannot readily understand their significance.
She gives us a sympathetic and spirited heroine in Margaret Hale, who is wise beyond her years. Another colorful character is Nicholas Higgins. I found myself looking forward to his scenes because he provides the humor in an almost-humorless book. (It is funny at the end, though, and I would have liked to have seen more of this tone.)
Mr. Thornton is a character we can readily identify with--someone who triumphs over adversity and seeks to constantly better himself. Someone with high standards, yet none higher than he holds himself to. Margaret is his match in every way.
I did see many plot similarities with "Pride and Prejudice" in the love story. We have characters of different class backgrounds who are initially repelled but who come to appreciate each other and are kept apart by misunderstandings and circumstances. The proposal scenes are strikingly familiar, and the first proposal includes almost the same language (re gentlemanlike behavior) that Elizabeth speaks to Darcy. And we have a Lady Catherine DeBourgh character in Mrs. Thornton, who does her best to drive the lovers apart. But I can't fault Mrs. Gaskell for borrowing plotlines from the master. Although Gaskell is a strong writer, she does not quite have Jane Austen's gift for revealing the humanity in her characters with humor and affection. There is not much "fun" and no banter (until the very last lines of the book) in the North and South love story.
There are many plot contrivances and conveniences, too, which compel us to suspend disbelief. A few too many rapid deaths, a character's coincidental presence at a key scene, another character showing up in an unexpected place, and more. But these limitations serve to drive the story and allow us to focus on the strong moral characters of our central characters and our strong wish for their eventual reconciliation.
In the Penguin edition, it is also rather disturbing to find the plot given away in the footnotes. I read the footnotes religiously to orient myself, but I don't understand why they have to mention so many plot occurrences (especially big things like deaths and proposals) ahead of time. So, if you don't want to know how things go, read the footnotes (and preface) judiciously.
OK, I've written a lot of negatives and yet I give the book 4 stars. Despite its flaws, North and South takes on a lot and mainly succeeds. I love its ambition and its great heart. I love that I learned a lot about English history at that particular time. I love that it rewarded me for getting through those first 150 pages with a rich, compelling story. I love that Mrs. Gaskell held my interest to the end. As Victorian novels go, this is surprisingly modern and a worthwhile read.

I read the book, like many other reviewers here, after I had watched the brilliant BBC miniseries starring Richard Armitage and Daniela Denby-Ashe. I definitely agree with the comments of many reviewers here that you somehow seem to develop a finer appreciation of the nuances of both after doing that.

A lot of reviewers have covered the ground admirably on the story itself, so I won't go into too much detail on that. In addition to the fine development of plot and characters alike, what I found refreshing about the novel were:

a. Unlike a few other writers of her time, Elizabeth Gaskell focuses a lot more on the thought processes and feelings of the male characters in the novel. For example, you don't get to hear a lot of what Darcy or Edward Ferrars are thinking in Pride and Prejudice, or Sense and Sensibility, except almost tangentially. In sharp contrast, Mrs. Gaskell gives quite a detailed peep into what John Thornton and Richard Hale are thinking, throughout the novel. As someone who is always interested in the differences in thought processes between the sexes, I found this to be refreshingly different from other novels of the time.

b. Being in business, it was quite a new experience to read about John Thornton's evolution first as a business owner and then as a "leader", to use that overused term of today. Mrs. Gaskell appears to have a remarkably sophisticated understanding of both management and labor issues. The examples that stand out in my mind - John Thornton's increasing interest in exploring a better construct for labor-management relations beyond the mere "cash nexus" (towards the end of the novel), and his practice of building what we would call a business case today, as he asks Nicholas Higgins to put some figures together for the new cafeteria.

c. A valuable peep into the mores of the time - for example, despite being fond of Bessy Higgins, Margaret recoils in horror at the thought of visiting her after Bessy's death, a point glossed over in the BBC mini-series, - it gives you a rare insight into things like death and burial customs of the time,.

I must agree with a few other reviewers that the last few chapters seem a little rushed, but from an overall perspective, it is hard to beat this novel for its pure wholesome enjoyment value - more serious and deep than a Pride and Prejudice, and still light enough for people like me who cannot take Thomas Hardy. A definite five stars!

Margaret Hale's father, a churchman, repudiates his beliefs, and consequently sacrifices his "living" in idyllic, sunny Helstone (is that "Hell" stone? Surely not...) in the South of England. The Hales relocate in Milton, in Darkshire, loosely modelled on Manchester. In the North, they learn the realities of industrial life, the poverty, social injustice, rampant death, etc.
Politically and socially, the local mill-owner, John Thornton, is Margaret's antagonist. Their initial mutual revulsion evolves eventually, through mutual sympathy, into love. Add in Margaret's brother, Frederick, living abroad under a cloud for mutiny, and you have the ingredients of a good story.
But the first 200 pages are, as another reviewer has remarked, tedious beyond belief. However, the last 250 or so pages fly by. Gaskell plots the story well. The many deaths, both lingering and sudden, are harrowing and moving. Ideologically, Gaskell was an armchair socialist, a middle-class wife who could afford to ally herself with the workers. Her style, packed with Victorianisms, is in some ways contemporary and highly idiomatic, and she handles conversation particularly well. There's much Northern dialogue to struggle through.
You'll struggle to reach the middle of the book, and then you won't be able to put it down. My fave chapter is the one where Margaret, after many reversals, returns to her native town of Helstone. Her nostalgia is tempered by the realisation that life moves on. Even this little jewel of a village is sadly changed. But, as she well knows, c'est la vie!

This is a must-read, particularly for anyone who has seen - and been captivated by - the BBC film version of Elizabeth Gaskell's very fine novel. Although the film is excellent and largely faithful to Gaskell's story, it cannot fully convey the depth of her characters. The author herself does this masterfully, painting rich word portraits of each figure through skillful use of dialogue and description. Another especially exquisite feature of this book is the way Gaskell weaves the relationship between Margaret Hale and John Thornton into the differences between cotton mill owners in the north of England and their workers. The author creates tension and passion in the coupling of Margaret and Thornton by immersing them in the conflict between labor and management, pitting Margaret's advocacy of the workers against Thornton's interests as a mill owner. In doing so, she offers valuable insights into the needs and concerns of both sides in this labor dispute in a way that speaks to present-day tensions between unions and companies. Gaskell does this by portraying Thornton as a mill owner who ultimately tries to balance his head for business with an expanding heart for his workers and Margaret as someone who comes to understand both sides in the conflict. Readers with a spiritual bent may appreciate, too, Gaskell's tasteful use of religious imagery and language, something the film barely touches on. This is especially apparent in the exchanges between Margaret and her dying friend, Bessy Higgins, who is obsessed with the biblical book of Revelation. Margaret, the daughter of a minister, relates beautifully to Bessy's concerns and Bible quotations, engaging and respecting her religious sensibilities, yet offering a sense of balance that is drawn from her own beliefs.

This is a great read, and if you're familiar with or enjoy Austen's Pride and Prejudice, you will find similar plots, themes, and personalities. Gaskell's work is different in its own way to Austen's despite the similarities, and it raises important discussions on the image of Northern and Southern England, class, economics, and health that are fun to explore if you're a scholar. Many people coin this as the "darker" Pride and Prejudice, and in some ways it is. I mean, compared to Austen's own words that her work is sparkly, it's definitely different and some people are very concrete and stark on their opinions. Both are enjoyable and both are great to have on your shelf and both are important for their influence and study in Gregorian and Victorian England.

I know it sounds like a cliché - promoting one book by comparing it to another - but I can't help telling that "N&S" resembles Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" a bit.

N&S is about Hampshire-born(the South)Margaret Hale forced to leave her beloved home in the southern countryside as his father - a former parson - resigns his parsonage because of religious doubts and takes his family to Milton in Darkshire (the North). There Margaret makes friends with Nicholas Higgins, a poor, but hones and upright weaver and union man and his mortally ill daughter, Bessy. Their circumstances make her even more prejudiced against the North.

She is appalled at the industrial, noisy, polluted and cruel milieu embodied in John Thornton, a proud, successful northern mill-owner, her father's pupil. Although Thornton is a straightforward man of honour and decency, Margaret condemns him as ungentleman-like, greedy for profit and cruel to workers. Their different principles clash right from the start.

Thornton is aware of Margaret's dislike and contempt for him and his ways but he cannot help falling passionately in love with her feeling all the while that he "is not good enough for her". Dramatic events - the riotous workers on strike threaten his life and Margaret shields him with her own body when they start to throw things at him - make him confess his love for Margaret which is indignantly rejected by the girl (she has acted upon pure and general charity and would have done the same for all her fellow-men).

The drastic change of scenery and circumstances affect the whole family very badly, especially Margaret's mother, Mrs Hale, whose health is continuously failing her. Margaret struggles to keep up family peace, to help out in household chores - as no proper servant can be found - and to be a son and a daughter in one for her parents.

There is a family secret hidden from public knowledge: Margaret's brother, Frederic Hale, former officer of the Navy, is in hiding and wanted for having been the ringleader of a mutiny. His return would surely cost him his life, however, Margaret writes him a letter begging his return as their mother's last wish is to see him once more before she dies.

Frederic arrives and spends some time with his beloved family, but is compelled to go away as he is threatened with discovery.

Mr Thornton sees him & his sister saying their goodbyes at the station and takes them for lovers. That is the first time that Margaret realizes she cares about the possible loss of his good opinion of her.

Unfortunately he is not the only one they encounter at the station endangering not only Frederic's life (he is able to escape) but Margaret's reputation as well. It is John Thornton, the magistrate who helps to save both (the latter directly, the former indirectly).

A chain of events change both Thornton's and Margaret's life taking Margaret back to the south, to London, and financial disaster is looming over Thornton, but they are fated to meet again ...

Although this novel is not so witty and light as "P&P", it is still a very enjoyable read. I recommend the book to everyone who likes classic Victorian drama whether they have seen the stunning BBC mini series or not.

For much of the first half of the book, I REALLY was irritated with Margaret Hale- she is snobby and unpleasant, despite Gaskell's often mentioning her good physical attributes- her ivory skin, dark hair, etc. However, as hard as it was to bring myself to like her, by the end of the book, I at least could pity her, though mostly because of what she goes through in the second half.

This being said, in my opinion, the character that really makes this novel worth reading is Mr. Thornton. Even though I was not very much disposed to like him when he is first introduced (his being a Mill Owner was much of the reason- though not in the same way Margaret does), I thought that he turns out to be far more sympathetic than she does. I felt so sorry for him when Margaret rejected him (this occurs fairly early in the book, so I'm not spoiling anything by mentioning it)- unlike Mr. Darcy's first proposal in P&P, Mr. Thornton didn't do anything to deserve the thoroughly nasty and cold refusal Margaret gives him. I have to wonder why on earth he would fall in love with Margaret in the first place- no matter how beautiful she might be, she rarely says anything kind to him or shows any compassion for his feelings.

This novel has been compared by others to Pride and Prejudice- I would say that this is a version of P&P where it's Mr. Darcy that the reader feels for and sympathizes with, rather than Elizabeth Bennet. (I am not a particularly big fan of Mr. Darcy, unlike many Janeites :) ).

Altogether, it is a very good read, I just wish that the heroine weren't so annoying- Molly Gibson in Wives and Daughters is a far more pleasant character of Gaskell's.

As so many others, I had never even heard of Gaskell until I saw (and loved!) the BBC miniseries of this book. I went to my local public library and discovered they had NOTHING by this author. So I ordered this book and have read it twice now, and while it's never going to replace Austen and Dickens in my heart, it is a good novel that I recommend to any BritLit fan. One of the things I liked most about this book (and the other works by Gaskell that I'm just now discovering) is that it's sort of like a bridge between the worlds of Austen and Dickens. I've read so much of their work that I feel I know the worlds they describe, but I always felt there was such a disconnect between them. In Gaskell I get to see the Industrial Revolution arrive on the scene and witness characters struggling to follow (and sometimes make up) the new rules of what is "proper." In Dickens' novels, it's always such a big deal whether a man is a "gentleman" or not, whereas in Austen it's much more clear-cut. So to see Margaret Hale dismiss John Thornton as "not a gentleman" and see him recoil as if slapped was fascinating to me. Margaret seemed to me as if she had just run away from a Jane Austen plot right into this new industrialized world, and she ran right into a Darcy-esque mill owner, of all things! So as her definition of a gentleman evolved, mine did, too. The style of Gaskell's writing can be slow, heavy on obscure (to me, at least) allusions, and sometimes lacking in humor. But her characters practically breathe on the page. I felt the character of Margaret especially was so fully rendered I expected her to jump off the page, and she was much more fully realized than the film version. Gaskell takes us right inside her thoughts to see Margaret's hopes, joys, expectations, and self-image. I really admired Margaret in the book because I could see how terribly "put upon" she was by her well-meaning but not-terribly-useful parents. No matter what happens, Margaret shoulders the burden and looks to no one else for help. And John Thornton is such a similar personality that they seem better matched than any Austen couple I can think of. Their love story is developed slowly and beautifully, and the book's final scene is wonderfully passionate and worth the wait, even if it doesn't involve a public display of affection on a train platform. So if you loved the mini-series and want an easy-to-read novelization of it, you may not like this book. But if you want to read a Victorian novel that has been overlooked by many readers (especially American ones, like me) pick this one up.

The title of Elizabeth Gaskell?s second novel poses a problem of interpretation. The novel does not adequately portray the alleged opposition of character between the Northern and Southern counties of England. Isn?t it rather a matter of dealing with an antagonism of class? According to the novel?s metonymic simplifications, the South is, as represented by the county of Hampshire, a backwater of superstition; London?s life is reflected in the superfluity and vanity of Harley Street; the Northern town of Milton (Manchester) is a place peopled exclusively by masters and workmen, with no trace of landowning aristocracy in it. These equivocations are nevertheless not to be imputed on Elizabeth Gaskell?s lack of perspective. It has more to do with the influence of Charles Dickens, who serialised the novel in Household Words and suggested a change of title. Gaskell?s intention had been to write the novel of a heroine, Margaret Hale, moving to the North, providing her name as the novel?s title. But Dickens saw more interest in North and South as title. The problem is that the novel does not pretend to be an accurate representation of the cultural geography of England in itself, but is merely a study of a female consciousness coming to grips with maturing in a new industrial city. This way, Elizabeth Gaskell?s original title would have done more justice to the novel.

The classic heroine found in novels such as Jane Austen?s is here coming to grips with the evidence of disrupting forces that threaten the traditional English ideology under which she has been brought up. Margaret Hale?s challenge is to learn to accept change as a natural, even desirable, aspect of reality. On the other hand, the much loved parsonage of her parents? in Hampshire has never been answerable to expectations. When she first returns there from London, she finds the country to be not so pleasant as she had anticipated. Mr Henry Lennox is similarly disappointed. Her mother longs to leave. Then after they do leave, the country is again subject to idealisations.

In the North the Hales meet the Thorntons, a family as proud of their cotton mill as shockingly limited in experience. A contemporary reviewer in 1855 criticised the novel for the lack of knowledge of the Cotton Trade it displays. Nevertheless, as a work of fiction, North and South is rather concerned with moral and spiritual issues than with the technicalities of commerce. This anonymous reviewer declared: "If there are two classes that should give trade and masters-and-men questions a wide berth, those classes are clergymen and women". The point of the novel is precisely to counteract this prejudice. If it fails on the side of accurate representative detail, this is somehow besides the point in a work of fiction.

By exerting his practical political influence in the town, Mr John Thornton will secretly humiliate Margaret?s pride by doubting her purity, while delighting in his own self-torture over this matter. Margaret has been trying to assimilate her family?s and the town?s idiosyncrasies (her father is a Dissenter; her brother a mutineer converted to Roman Catholicism; his friends the Higginses are workers). The Thorntons, whose surname reminds us of Thor, the Norse god of thunder, claim the Germanic influence as the proper to the North (whereas the South and Oxford would rely on the classic civilisation, particularly the Greeks). Nevertheless, John thornton will be seen to be wanting in ruthlessness and it will be the fortune that comes from the South that helps him overcome his business difficulties.

The struggle between Margaret and John Thornton is very much a power struggle in which the male is only adequately subdued when he is bankrupted, and the woman asserts herself only as a result of her becoming a heiress to her Oxford godfather. Nevertheless, Thornton has learnt the strategic importance of listening to the workers? complaints, and Margaret has become capable of using the power and influence that she acquires by means of her position in society. This is, she has learnt to appreciate the value of "work", of a sensitive feminine conscience at work in the midst of a society marked by constant struggle.

"But she had learnt, in those solemn hours of thought, that she herself must one day answer for her own life, and what she had done with it; and she tried to settle that most difficult problem for women, how much was to be utterly merged in obedience to authority, and how much might be set apart for freedom in working."

A Victorian novel about snobbery, with every stock character from the poor curate to the consumptive saint to the working class philosopher to the misunderstood rich man.

Don't get me wrong: it's a great book though completely foreign to the mores of modern America. Genteel Margaret Hale moves to the godforsaken (so she would have you believe) north of England after her father leaves the church. There, she slowly turns revolutionary, through her friendships with a working class family and with the gruff mill owner.

I cannot recomend this edition, though: the footnotes give away every plot twist many, many chapters before they happen and without any real reason (actual footnote: "compare this proposal with the one Margaret recieves from [name withheld], and with the one that she ultimately accepts from [name withheld]." Um, great... except that this footnote is in about chapter 4, the second one is halfway through the book, and the third one is on the last page of the book!) The footnotes give away who marries, who dies, and what happens to who long before said events transpire... it really took much of the joy out of reading the novel.

Still, it's a very interesting book offering an idealized view of the Victorian class divide (I mean come on... the Binglys made their money in industry, and the provenance of Mr. Darcy's wealth is never alluded to but it doesn't seem to come from a title... and 30 years later the poor curate's daughter is shocked just SHOCKED to find that industrial barons can read?). I definately recomend it, but I don't recomend reading the footnotes.