Elizabeth Gaskell: A Study of Her Work and Writing Advice

It’s clear from the nickname “Scheherazade” (a reference to the epic work 1,001 Nights, also known as Arabian Nights) given by the one and only Charles Dickens that Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell had a way with words, weaving stories together like no other. The English novelist, short story writer, and biographer was a contemporary of Charles Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Jane Austen, and numerous other prolific 19th-century authors, and yet you don’t hear her name mentioned as often. A highly underrated Victorian writer, I first found Gaskell when I read her book North and South (1855) when I was looking for an enemies-to-lovers type Victorian novel similar to Austen’s works. Little did I know starting that novel I was in for so much more than your average tension-fraught 19th-century romance; the novel completely captures the social and political tensions between members of vastly different socioeconomic classes. A woman of many talents in the writing and publishing worlds, Gaskell lived a life of adventure and associated with many different groups of people, which heavily informed her works. In this article, we’ll delve into Gaskell’s life and how it influenced her profound novels which still inspire writers and readers nearly 200 years later.

A Quiet Early Life in the Countryside

Gaskell was born to William and Elizabeth Stevenson, in Chelsea, London in 1810 and was raised in a Unitarian family. About a year after her birth, Gaskell’s mother died suddenly and she was subsequently sent to be raised by her maternal aunt, Hannah Lumb in Knutsford, a rural town in the picturesque English countryside. Throughout her childhood, she also spent time visiting her father and his second wife, her stepmother Catherine Thompson and traveled between Edinburgh and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. She began her adult life young, like many women in her time, and at 21, in 1832, she wed William Gaskell, a Unitarian minister, and moved to live with him in Manchester. During their marriage, Gaskell went on to have four daughters, Marianne (1834), Margaret Emily (1837), Florence (1842), and Julia (1846). She assisted her husband at the church, teaching Sunday school and assisting him in the chapel. With the births of their children, tragedy struck and in a strange turn of events, Gaskell’s career began.

With Loss Comes the Rebirth

In 1844, Gaskell gave birth to her only son, William, who died from scarlet fever in infancy. Devastated by the loss of her child, Mr. Gaskell suggested she take up writing to distract herself from her all-consuming grief and consequently, this massive life change caused inspiration to strike. Seemingly impossibly, at 34 years old, her literary career was born, taking off almost instantaneously. When discussing her reasons for writing, she cited that it was in regard to the poor community in Manchester and that her goal was to “give utterance to their agony.” Manchester, a highly industrial city during the 19th century, was described to be “a great cultural and intellectual centre,” and filled with working-class individuals who later inspired characters in her novels. Her first novel, Mary Barton, was published anonymously in 1848 and was successful, gaining the attention of Dickens, thus beginning their professional relationship (as writer and editor) and personal relationship (friends) that would last until the end of her days. As she continued writing, she eventually began writing under her name, Mrs. Gaskell, previously choosing to publish anonymously due to unfriendly Victorian attitudes towards female writers.

Literary Journey and Later Life

In quick succession, Gaskell began writing rapidly in every sense: letters, short stories, and novels, her readers eating up every word. She began publishing her short stories in various magazines and periodicals, including Dickens’ magazine All The Year Round. Some of her short stories included “Cousin Phillis,” “How the First Floor Went to Crowley Castle,” “The Ghost in the Garden Room,” “The Deserted Mansion,” “Life in Manchester: Libbie Marsh’s Three Eras,” “Christmas Storms and Sunshine,” and many more. Gaskell also published full-length novels including The Moorland Cottage (1850), Cranford (1853), Ruth (1853), My Lady Ludlow (1858), Sylvia’s Lovers (1863), A Dark Night’s Work (1863), Wives and Daughters (1866), the last of which was unfinished when she died. Her works were heavily influenced by the places in which she lived and were not limited to Manchester, where she spent most of her adult life. Her childhood homes also served as inspiration for her earlier novels, and her travels in her later years informed her works.

Gaskell’s works primarily focused on critiquing Victorian ideals of gender (specifically those pertaining to women’s roles) class, politics, social change, and capitalism. She combatted norms by often writing about characters in a wide range of socioeconomic positions, often interacting with one another. Her novels fell into the genre of social realism and like her friend and editor Dickens, she often examined the lives of the poor in-depth. The more she wrote, the more often she worked with Dickens, with whom she had a complex relationship, as she believed his editing could be too controlling or censorious. In her success, also she befriended other famous figures like Charlotte Brontë and Florence Nightingale. When her dear friend Brontë passed away, she wrote the first biography of her life at the request of the Brontë family, and consequently, The Life of Charlotte Brontë was published in 1857 after the author’s untimely death.

In her later years, Gaskell traveled the world with her daughters, was an active hostess, and was a great philanthropist. She was a multi-hyphenate individual and with her many pursuits, can be described as a Renaissance woman. In spending quality time with her family and keeping up with her never-ending social calendar, Gaskell “was an active humanitarian; her novels convey many messages about the need for social reconciliation, for better understanding between employers and workers and between the respectable and the outcasts of society.” Through her works and other charitable efforts, Gaskell advocated for those in need around her and contributed great literature to the world. In 1865, at just 55 years old, she sadly passed away unexpectedly while living in semi-retirement in Hampshire with her family, leaving her final novel unfinished. Wives and Daughters was published posthumously in 1866, cementing her legacy in the literary world.

Tips to Take from Gaskell’s Writing

Although Gaskell didn’t tutor any aspiring writers like other authors such as Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald did, her writing speaks for itself when it comes to picking out what to keep in mind when writing your novel or short story. For one, look to the world around you for inspiration. The setting, people, and sociopolitical issues can all serve as pieces of inspiration for your work, and this can be observed in Gaskell’s novels Mary Barton, North and South, Cranford, and more. In a similar vein, when you’re planning to write your next piece, be sure to do your research on what you want to write about. Gaskell research of current political issues and tensions between classes showed in her writing, as “Her writing was carefully researched, and she took particular care in reproducing northern dialects accurately.” Thirdly, remember to not only draw from what you know but what you don’t know. As a minister’s wife, Gaskell didn’t live the life of a poor woman. In fact, her family bloomed over the years, moving from house to house, and did quite well economically. However, in many of her novels, she writes about the lower class. By commenting on current situations and expanding your knowledge and storytelling beyond your own roots, you can draw a wider readership. Gaskell’s commentary on Victorian ideologies in terms of gender and class clearly struck a chord with many people, making her work wildly successful.

In her short lifetime, Gaskell published approximately 65 short stories in collections and in various magazines and eight novels in total. A prolific writer, world traveler, social butterfly, and loyal friend, Gaskell certainly left her mark on the literary community and on the world as a whole. Beloved by her friends and family, her novels and short stories were ahead of their time, questioning and sometimes challenging modern sociopolitical ideals and advocating for better for all, no matter their socioeconomic status. Nearly 200 years after her birth, her novels aren’t as widely read today, but her influence can still be seen in literature published now. Her works, like those of Dickens, Austen, and the Brontë sisters, captivated readers in periodical form and as full-length publications because of the ways in which they confronted the questions, issues, and desires of people in their modern world. Gaskell’s works about love, loss, hope, capitalism, social status, and political change are timeless, and have themes that are still applicable to our world today. Despite the fact that we are living in vastly different times, as our world doesn’t even slightly resemble that of Victorian England, readers today are still challenging society’s views on gender and class, and in that sense, Gaskell’s themes are incredibly relevant. Additionally, her way of writing through heavy research and finding inspiration in her community still applies to the writing and publishing process today. Go ahead and read one of Gaskell’s books or stream one of the many film or TV adaptations to leap into her world and understand her genius.