Family and society in the works of Elizabeth Gaskell
By: E. Holly Pike.
Series: American university studies.; v. 174
Publisher: P. Lang; Lang AG International Academic Publishers, Peter
Published: 1995
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 165
Subjects: Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn, 1810-1865 -- Political and social views; Family in literature; Literature and society -- England -- History -- 19th century; Domestic fiction, English -- History and criticism; Women and literature -- England -- History -- 19th century; Women in literature; Patriarchy in literature
Description: Most studies of Elizabeth Gaskell's fiction have concentrated on her "social problem novels," with some attention being given to her "comic novels" as a separate body of work. This analysis of Gaskell's fiction argues that these seemingly disparate works deal with the same theme: the proper constitution of society.

Through a discussion of nineteenth-century ideas about social structures and an examination of Gaskell's major works, this study traces the change in Gaskell's conception of the ideal structure of society and shows her development as a realist novelist.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.