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Elizabeth Gaskell

The document provides a summary of the 1848 novel Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell. It describes the novel as being about social class and economics in Manchester, focusing on the impoverished Barton family. John Barton becomes embittered by hardship and loss and blames the rich. The novel is characterized by its realistic and atmospheric details as well as fully developed characters.

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Taibur Rahaman
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96 views2 pages

Elizabeth Gaskell

The document provides a summary of the 1848 novel Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell. It describes the novel as being about social class and economics in Manchester, focusing on the impoverished Barton family. John Barton becomes embittered by hardship and loss and blames the rich. The novel is characterized by its realistic and atmospheric details as well as fully developed characters.

Uploaded by

Taibur Rahaman
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Elizabeth Gaskell: Mary Barton

Gaskell, Elizabeth. 1848. Mary Barton. Penguin English Library. 488 pages.
There are some fields near Manchester, well known to the inhabitants as 'Green Heys
Fields,' through which runs a public footpath to a little village about two miles distant. n
spite of these fields being flat and low, nay, in spite of the want of wood !the great and
usual recommendation of level tracts of land", there is a charm about them which strikes
even the inhabitant of a mountainous district, who sees and feels the effect of contrast in
these common#place but thoroughly rural fields, with the busy, bustling manufacturing
town, he left but half an hour ago.
Jem ilson has al!ays only lo"e# Mary Barton. $e may not be ri%h. $e may not li"e in a
gran# house. But his heart an# soul ha"e belonge# to Mary Barton. &n# there's nothing
he !oul#n't #o (or the lo"e o( his li(e. E"en i( he (eels that lo"e is unre)uite#.
*n the #ay he propose#, Mary Barton re(use# him thoroughly. &n#, to poor Jem, it
seeme# rather %ruel, heartless, an# (inal. $e #ramati%ally #e%lares+
'&n# is this the en# o( all my hopes an# (ears, the en# o( my li(e, - may say, (or it is the
en# o( all !orth li"ing (or.' $is agitation rose an# %arrie# him into passion. 'Mary. you'll
hear, may be, o( me as a #runkar#, an# may be as a thie(, an# may be as a mur#erer.
/emember. !hen all are speaking ill o( me, you !ill ha"e no right to blame me, (or it's
your %ruelty that !ill ha"e ma#e me !hat - (eel - shall be%ome.' 01123
But e"en though he'll ne"er ha"e Mary as his !i(e, !hen Mary's aunt, Esther, asks him to
!at%h out (or her, to take %are o( her, he %an't )uite re(use. 4ou see, Esther (ears (or Mary.
5ears that Mary Barton is in lo"e !ith a #angerous man, a ri%h man !ho is out to se#u%e
her. $is ri"al's name is $arry 6arson. &n# he seems to ha"e it all. But his lu%k is about to
run out.
Mary Barton !as Elizabeth Gaskell's (irst no"el. &n# it's so mu%h more than a
suspense(ul lo"e story. 07espite my #es%ription, this one is tol# mainly through the eyes
o( Mary Barton. 8hough at times it is tol# (rom other perspe%ti"es. John Barton, Mary's
(ather, plays a large role in this one.3 -t's a no"el about so%ial %lass an# e%onomi%s. *( the
ha"es an# the ha"e9nots. 8he Bartons an# the ilsons an# almost e"eryone else o( note
in the no"el are li"ing at the po"erty le"el. Belo! it more like it. 7eath (rom star"ation,
#eath by #isease, these are "ery real %on%erns. Li(e isn't easy or pretty. -t's one har#ship
a(ter another a(ter another. 0-t's enough to get you #o!n an# keep you #o!n.3 John
Barton takes these losses poorly. $e be%omes angry an# bitter. $e blames the ri%h (or all
his problems. -s his anger :usti(ie#, 4ou be the :u#ge.
*ne o( the strengths o( the no"el is %hara%terization. e meet Mary Barton, her (amily,
her (rien#s, her %ommunity. e meet so many #i((erent %hara%ters. 6hara%ters that are so
easy to %are about. 05or e;ample, Job Legh, Margaret Jennings, an# ill ilson. -
parti%ularly en:oye# Job.3 &ll her %hara%ters ha"e #epth an# substan%e. -t's a "ery human
book. 8he no"el is also ri%h in #etail an# is "ery atmospheri%.
hat - !asn't e;pe%ting99an# you may not be e;pe%ting either99!as ho! ri%h this one
!as spiritually. -t has some #e(inite spiritual tones an# by the en# espe%ially its ri%h
spiritual signi(i%an%e really stan#s out. <omething you #on't (in# in :ust any %lassi%.

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