North and South

North And South is a novel that merges the individual consciousness with the society, through the story of a young woman and her move to a new town. Summary Of The Book The novel introduces readers to the Victorian heroine, Margaret Hale. Her father is disenchanted with the Church and renounces his role as a pastor. He then decides to move to Milton. Margaret is forced to bid goodbye to her beloved, rural Hampshire home, and move to an urban and industrialised locale with her family. At Milton, she is appalled by the ill-treatment meted out to mill workers and is struck by the poverty that surrounds her. In order to make ends meet, her father is employed as a tutor for Mr. John Thornton, who runs Marlborough Mills. Margaret takes an instant dislike to John, and considers him unruly and insensitive. John reciprocates this dislike, and finds Margaret too proud and disdainful. However, an odd attraction soon blossoms between them. In the midst of all this, the workers go on a strike against the mill owners. With the violence escalating, Margaret convinces John to try and appease the crowd, but his efforts go in vain and violence ensues. Margaret is dealt another blow, when her mother suffers from ill-health. Her brother, who is wanted for naval mutiny, decides to visit his mother in secret. What happens to the budding romance? What becomes of Margaret's brother? Is peace restored to Milton? North And South answers all these questions, while dealing with important social issues such as injustice against the poor, rural life and modernisation, religious dissention, and more. North And South has also been adapted for theatre and television, with BBC airing a serial in 2004. About Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Gaskell was a writer, whose works are considered to be classics from the Victorian era in English literature. She has also written novels such as Mary Barton, Wives and Daughters: An Everyday Story, The Moorland Cottage, Ruth, and Cranford. Her works served as a critique of the time and she painted a precise picture of the society. Her books helped her champion her cause of sympathy for the poor. She also made use of local dialect to give her novels a realistic touch. She was born in 1810 in England. Her formal education revolved around arts and the classics and she was also trained to observe decorum as a young lady. Gaskell later married William Gaskell, and they soon moved to Manchester. Gaskell died at the age of 55, in 1865.