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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
"Pride and Prejudice meets Communism!" I've always found that description humorous and descriptive, although not necessarily super fair. Gaskell was a contemporary of Jane Austen and wrote about romance and high society.
As for the communism, it's halfway true. It’s more about the origin of the idea of the capital holding rich having for the first time a relationship with labor unions that isn’t completely antagonistic, that is a little bit more complementary. This makes the books political stance distinctly socialist; not communist, by the definitions set forth by Karl Marx.
The setting is Dickensian, a polluted city full of commerce and soot, with poor downtrodden workers struggling to survive.
Our heroine, Margaret, is unusually empathetic and a strong peacemaker. She’s one of favorite characters from any book I have read in this era. She is a newcomer from the country, new to an industrialized environment. The daughter of a parson, she is used to visiting the poor and doing as much good as she can to help people understand each other. She vaccilates between the world of the poor and the rich, between the workers who are striking for their rights, and the family of John Thornton, one of the mill owners.
Unlike many a book that has been written on social and economic injustice, this one is actually interesting. Gaskell doesn't strawman either side, and in fact explores each quite thoroughly, showing different individuals, factions, and viewpoints inside of each side. Through her heroine Margaret, she seeks to find common ground, an art form all but lost during that time period...
And sadly, it's all but lost today. Would that more people thought like Margaret. It's such a rare gem to find meaningful discourse, seeking to understand, searching for common ground, unifying instead of dividing. To do the work of a peacemaker is really hard work, and often thankless. Many people will say that if you're not for us you're against us. That's where we are in American politics today; the moderates are attacked by both sides, torn apart like a sheep among wolves. But nevertheless...I digress, but the point is, Gaskell is doing something really interesting in this work that is healing to my soul.
The heroine, Margaret, is one of my favorites. She's strong, imperfect with her impetuousness and a touch of (unintentional) haughtiness. But she's strong, a unifying force, someone with a higher perspective.
Her biggest flaw is probably her haughtiness—she thinks of herself as “Someone,” for she comes from minor nobility and there are all sorts of Victorian concepts of what all that entails. Because of that she can be seen as more a product of her environment and when contextualized, she’s ahead of the curve—her maid Dixon actually gets more offended for the family’s sake than her family does, which makes for a comedic twist.
The comparison with Jane Austen is inescapable, and in many ways this is similar; these are rich nobility during the same time period having some of the same dinner parties and concerns. But here we have a lot of the poor’s perspective too. And where Austen's novels are really only about romance with only a dash of other topics, Gaskell's novel is about romance but is also truly about at least two other things. One is the coming of age story which is quite strong here; I won’t say more than that for fear of spoiling things for you. The other is a searching for resolution to war between those with capital and those without. And this is far from the demonizing, revolutionary talk of the Communist Manifesto. The tone is more similar to Charles Dickens (fitting since he was a mentor of Gaskell’s). It’s more a perspective of really seeing the plight of the working poor with great pathos, really seeing it.
And Gaskell also seeks for us to really understand Thornton. Far from falling into the pit of "all rich people are scumbags," she explores his psyche in insightful detail. She shows what many people overlook, which is that someone like Thornton came to be where he was precisely because of admirable traits: because of how capable, determined, hardworking, creative, and industrious he was, precisely because he could see and understand things that few do. It also shows his examples of charity and kindliness, much of which Margaret draws out, but which was quite latent before she entered his life.
She also doesn't deify the rich as I have seen some books do. In fact, Thornton and especially his mother have become a bit monomaniacal, and it's love for Margaret that helps free John from his crusty shell and connect with his heart again.
I also loved reading this for the characterizations. Everyone seems to be basically a caricature...but a well-done caricature. I feel like they are epitomized representations of certain archetypes; distilled forms. They make me feel things. Mostly palm-to-forehead things. But things nonetheless, because they feel like Gaskell is making fun of things that need to be made fun of.
I like how Gaskell sets up a pretty huge hurdle for the love story to overcome. The Thorntons basically think Margaret is a complete snob. And that misunderstanding makes sense in context; it illuminates the suspicion that the new money has for being looked down upon by old money, which is another major theme. You see what you expect to see. Well done.
Quibbles? Well, as in all Victorian romances, it ends immediately with engagement. The two lovers haven’t spent any time really getting to know each other in depth. That’s always puzzled me about these books.
I also have other quibbles with the ending feeling a bit rushed, and it taking is a bit too long in the middle to get there. The pacing could have been a bit better.
Overall? I strongly liked this book. I liked it even more than the Jane Austen I have read so far…with that said I haven’t read the great P&P or Emma yet so that could change…but I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to reading more of Gaskell.
As for the communism, it's halfway true. It’s more about the origin of the idea of the capital holding rich having for the first time a relationship with labor unions that isn’t completely antagonistic, that is a little bit more complementary. This makes the books political stance distinctly socialist; not communist, by the definitions set forth by Karl Marx.
The setting is Dickensian, a polluted city full of commerce and soot, with poor downtrodden workers struggling to survive.
Our heroine, Margaret, is unusually empathetic and a strong peacemaker. She’s one of favorite characters from any book I have read in this era. She is a newcomer from the country, new to an industrialized environment. The daughter of a parson, she is used to visiting the poor and doing as much good as she can to help people understand each other. She vaccilates between the world of the poor and the rich, between the workers who are striking for their rights, and the family of John Thornton, one of the mill owners.
Unlike many a book that has been written on social and economic injustice, this one is actually interesting. Gaskell doesn't strawman either side, and in fact explores each quite thoroughly, showing different individuals, factions, and viewpoints inside of each side. Through her heroine Margaret, she seeks to find common ground, an art form all but lost during that time period...
And sadly, it's all but lost today. Would that more people thought like Margaret. It's such a rare gem to find meaningful discourse, seeking to understand, searching for common ground, unifying instead of dividing. To do the work of a peacemaker is really hard work, and often thankless. Many people will say that if you're not for us you're against us. That's where we are in American politics today; the moderates are attacked by both sides, torn apart like a sheep among wolves. But nevertheless...I digress, but the point is, Gaskell is doing something really interesting in this work that is healing to my soul.
The heroine, Margaret, is one of my favorites. She's strong, imperfect with her impetuousness and a touch of (unintentional) haughtiness. But she's strong, a unifying force, someone with a higher perspective.
Her biggest flaw is probably her haughtiness—she thinks of herself as “Someone,” for she comes from minor nobility and there are all sorts of Victorian concepts of what all that entails. Because of that she can be seen as more a product of her environment and when contextualized, she’s ahead of the curve—her maid Dixon actually gets more offended for the family’s sake than her family does, which makes for a comedic twist.
The comparison with Jane Austen is inescapable, and in many ways this is similar; these are rich nobility during the same time period having some of the same dinner parties and concerns. But here we have a lot of the poor’s perspective too. And where Austen's novels are really only about romance with only a dash of other topics, Gaskell's novel is about romance but is also truly about at least two other things. One is the coming of age story which is quite strong here; I won’t say more than that for fear of spoiling things for you. The other is a searching for resolution to war between those with capital and those without. And this is far from the demonizing, revolutionary talk of the Communist Manifesto. The tone is more similar to Charles Dickens (fitting since he was a mentor of Gaskell’s). It’s more a perspective of really seeing the plight of the working poor with great pathos, really seeing it.
And Gaskell also seeks for us to really understand Thornton. Far from falling into the pit of "all rich people are scumbags," she explores his psyche in insightful detail. She shows what many people overlook, which is that someone like Thornton came to be where he was precisely because of admirable traits: because of how capable, determined, hardworking, creative, and industrious he was, precisely because he could see and understand things that few do. It also shows his examples of charity and kindliness, much of which Margaret draws out, but which was quite latent before she entered his life.
She also doesn't deify the rich as I have seen some books do. In fact, Thornton and especially his mother have become a bit monomaniacal, and it's love for Margaret that helps free John from his crusty shell and connect with his heart again.
I also loved reading this for the characterizations. Everyone seems to be basically a caricature...but a well-done caricature. I feel like they are epitomized representations of certain archetypes; distilled forms. They make me feel things. Mostly palm-to-forehead things. But things nonetheless, because they feel like Gaskell is making fun of things that need to be made fun of.
I like how Gaskell sets up a pretty huge hurdle for the love story to overcome. The Thorntons basically think Margaret is a complete snob. And that misunderstanding makes sense in context; it illuminates the suspicion that the new money has for being looked down upon by old money, which is another major theme. You see what you expect to see. Well done.
Quibbles? Well, as in all Victorian romances, it ends immediately with engagement. The two lovers haven’t spent any time really getting to know each other in depth. That’s always puzzled me about these books.
I also have other quibbles with the ending feeling a bit rushed, and it taking is a bit too long in the middle to get there. The pacing could have been a bit better.
Overall? I strongly liked this book. I liked it even more than the Jane Austen I have read so far…with that said I haven’t read the great P&P or Emma yet so that could change…but I really thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m looking forward to reading more of Gaskell.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Came for the romance, stayed for the education - I feel so smart and educated now, my brain is buzzing.
North and South offers a very detailed look into the life lived in England mid 19th century. I enjoyed how the themes were all intertwined to make up the conflicts of Margaret's life, who is probably one of the most well written protagonists in literature. Although the story is set 170 years ago, her thoughts, feelings and struggles still seem so relevant for how human and fleshed out they are that I couldn't help but copy some of the expressions used in the novel.
This is another aspect that I really admired in Gaskell's writing. Not only does she manage to explain social and economic themes in a way that furthers the plot without undermining it, but she also has a way of explaining characters that makes them come to life and therefore plot all the more intriguing.
I enjoyed North and South for all its witty descriptions and heartfelt emotions of different kinds, I'd love to read it again just to get an even deeper understanding of everything it discusses.
Another thing I loved were the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter!
The only theme that did not resonate with me was all that religious talk, which, obviously, was inevitable, since Margaret's father was a vicar xD Then again, through this theme the question of tolerance was raised which is interesting enough to make me forget how annoying this theme could sometimes be (that's just my personal oponion as an atheist though and I obviously respect, though I don't always understand, religion itself)
North and South offers a very detailed look into the life lived in England mid 19th century. I enjoyed how the themes were all intertwined to make up the conflicts of Margaret's life, who is probably one of the most well written protagonists in literature. Although the story is set 170 years ago, her thoughts, feelings and struggles still seem so relevant for how human and fleshed out they are that I couldn't help but copy some of the expressions used in the novel.
This is another aspect that I really admired in Gaskell's writing. Not only does she manage to explain social and economic themes in a way that furthers the plot without undermining it, but she also has a way of explaining characters that makes them come to life and therefore plot all the more intriguing.
I enjoyed North and South for all its witty descriptions and heartfelt emotions of different kinds, I'd love to read it again just to get an even deeper understanding of everything it discusses.
Another thing I loved were the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter!
The only theme that did not resonate with me was all that religious talk, which, obviously, was inevitable, since Margaret's father was a vicar xD Then again, through this theme the question of tolerance was raised which is interesting enough to make me forget how annoying this theme could sometimes be (that's just my personal oponion as an atheist though and I obviously respect, though I don't always understand, religion itself)
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
FINALLY!!! What a long journey it had been! Oh, Margaret. What an incredible character. There's so much packed into this book. About contrast, about change, class, past-present-future, and more.
I'm glad I decided to keep going with this one.
Anyway, if nobody's going to have Henry Lennox, then I'll have him. Thank you very much.
I'm glad I decided to keep going with this one.
Anyway, if nobody's going to have Henry Lennox, then I'll have him. Thank you very much.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Margaret and Mr Thornton so much that I was able to overlook the anti-Irish sentiment!!!
"North and South has both met and made kind o' friends in this big smoky place."
🍁
I love Mr. Dickens but he had the AUDACITY to talk about the length of this book and rush the ending when his own books are no less than 900 pages. Like bro?
North and South is such a different book than I have read from this time. The setting, and the characters are somehow very distinct from the 0ther ones. This book was so good, I stayed up till an ungodly hour to finish this book. I just couldn't put this down.
🍁
Let's talk about my favorite part of the book, Margaret. She is such a good character, strong and soft, determined and gentle, and carries so much responsibility through this book. She is a good character to follow and look into this distinction between the North and South.
"Take care. If you do not speak-I shall claim you as my own in some strange presumptuous way."
The slow-burn romance that was in this book.
Mr. Thornton, the simp you were for this woman (and I could relate, I was like exactly). My only complaint with this book was that I wished there was more interaction between him and Margaret. Their relationship could have been explored a lot more in the book, I mean we did have Thornton thinking about Margaret ALL THE TIME, but they could have had more time together.
Someone write fanfic about these two after the events of the book and ping me after it is done.
We may as well talk about Nicholas Higgins. He was also one of my favorite parts of the book. His gruff exterior with his soft interior was such a delight.
🍁
Will definitely love to reread this at some point.
I should preface this review by saying that novels like North and South are not my forte. I generally don't find much enjoyment in Victorian classics which provide social/historical commentary on the period in which they are set. However, whilst North and South wasn't to my personal tastes, I did enjoy reading it.
Elizabeth Gaskell's writing style was beautiful, and she was able to capture the contrast between the tranquility and peace of the rural setting of Helston against the harshness and loudness of the urban Milton. The characters, whilst generally unlikeable, were complex and well-written. Margaret was an interesting protagonist, and although I didn't relate to her personally, I appreciated her development throughout the story. Mr. Thornton was a joy to read about and definitley the highlight of the book for me. He's a love interest that I was able to get fully on-board with because of his complexity. He was assertive, diligent, prideful and sometimes arrogant, but also astute, humble, romantic and rational. I did go into it expecting it to be a romance novel first and foremost, but this wasn't the case. The romance was a sub-plot, with Maragret's transition from girl to woman and the social context of the rural south versus the industrial north being the main focus. Other themes are interwoven with this such as feminism, class, religion and family.
Overall, from an objective stand-point I appreciate what Gaskell crafted with North and South. Her writing was beautiful, and stylistically, I can't fault it. As a piece of social commentary it's fantastic, the themes present are explored in great detail and the character development is well done (I came away with a particular fondness for Mr. Thornton). However, the fact that it wasn't to my personal tastes did somewhat detract from my overall enjoyment of reading it.
Elizabeth Gaskell's writing style was beautiful, and she was able to capture the contrast between the tranquility and peace of the rural setting of Helston against the harshness and loudness of the urban Milton. The characters, whilst generally unlikeable, were complex and well-written. Margaret was an interesting protagonist, and although I didn't relate to her personally, I appreciated her development throughout the story. Mr. Thornton was a joy to read about and definitley the highlight of the book for me. He's a love interest that I was able to get fully on-board with because of his complexity. He was assertive, diligent, prideful and sometimes arrogant, but also astute, humble, romantic and rational. I did go into it expecting it to be a romance novel first and foremost, but this wasn't the case. The romance was a sub-plot, with Maragret's transition from girl to woman and the social context of the rural south versus the industrial north being the main focus. Other themes are interwoven with this such as feminism, class, religion and family.
Overall, from an objective stand-point I appreciate what Gaskell crafted with North and South. Her writing was beautiful, and stylistically, I can't fault it. As a piece of social commentary it's fantastic, the themes present are explored in great detail and the character development is well done (I came away with a particular fondness for Mr. Thornton). However, the fact that it wasn't to my personal tastes did somewhat detract from my overall enjoyment of reading it.
challenging
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes