'The Brontës' is a topical exploration of the novels of the three Brontë sisters in relation to the age in which they lived, and in modern contexts such as film and television. The book traces the origins of novels such as 'Jane Eyre' and 'Wuthering Heights' and examines the 20th century's remaking of the novels in film and TV.
As relevant today as at its initial publication, this novel masterfully intertwines a compelling love story with the tension between profit and humanitarian ideals. When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church, the family relocates from their comfortable Hampshire home to the industrial town of Milton in the North of England. Initially disturbed by her new surroundings, Margaret soon becomes acutely aware of the local mill workers' poverty and suffering, igniting her sense of social justice. This awareness deepens through her tumultuous relationship with John Thornton, a mill owner whose treatment of his employees sparks fierce debates, revealing a complex attraction beneath their opposition. The narrative deftly combines personal emotion with social commentary, establishing Margaret Hale as one of the most distinctive heroines of Victorian literature. The introduction by Patricia Ingham explores Gaskell's portrayal of geographical, economic, and class disparities, as well as gender roles within the story. This edition also features further reading, notes, and a glossary. Elizabeth Gaskell, born in London and raised in Knutsford, published her first novel in 1848, gaining recognition from Charles Dickens, and maintained a close friendship with Charlotte Brontë. If you enjoyed this work, you might also appreciate Jane Austen's Persuasion.
As the last of Hardy's novels to be published, The Well-Beloved has generated great scholarly interest recently. Partly autobiographical, it tells the story of the sculptor Jocelyn Pierston, whose search for the ideal woman in both Portland and London leads him into courtships with a Portland woman, her daughter and her grand-daughter. This edition is the first to recover Hardy's final revisions to the text.
Novel tracing Jude Fawley's life from his aspirations of intellectual freedom to his early death. Jude the Obscure is the story of Jude Fawley and his struggle to rise from his station as a poor Wessex stonemason to that of a scholar at Christminster. It is also the story of Jude' s ill-fated relationship with his cousin Sue Bridehead, and the ultimate tragedy that causes Jude' s undoing and Sue' s transformation
This Glossary, designed as a practical aid to the reading of Chaucer, is intended to be serviceable with any of the widely read editions. Its primary aim is to explain the meanings of words and phrases used by Chaucer in ways which are unfamiliar in modern English. Words used as they are today are not included, but many now in common use do appear, as they had different connotations in Chaucer's time. This concise working tool will be valuable to all Middle English scholars.