North and South

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Written at the request of Charles Dickens, North and South is a book about rebellion; it poses fundamental questions about the nature of social authority and obedience. Gaskell expertly blends individual feeling with social concern, and her heroine, Margaret Hale, is one of the most original creations of Victorian literature.

When Margaret Hale's father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience she is forced to leave her comfortable home in the tranquil countryside of Hampshire and move with her family to the fictional industrial town of Milton in the north of England. Though at first disgusted by her new surroundings, she witnesses the brutality wrought by the Industrial Revolution and becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of the local mill workers. Sympathetic to the poor she makes friends among them and develops a fervent sense of social justice. She clashes with the mill-owner and self-made man, John Thornton, who is contemptuous of his workers. However, their fierce opposition masks a deeper attraction.

Gaskell based her depiction of Milton on Manchester, where she lived as the wife of a Unitarian minister. She was an accomplished writer, much of her work published in Charles Dickens' magazine Household Words including North and South which was originally published as a serial. She was also friends with Charlotte Brontë and after her death, her father, Patrick Brontë, chose Gaskell to write The Life of Charlotte Brontë.

In exclusivitate din AudibleWritten la cererea lui Charles Dickens, Nordul si sudul este o carte despre rebeliune; pune intrebari fundamentale despre natura autoritatii sociale si a ascultarii. Gaskell imbina in mod expert sentimentul individual cu preocuparea sociala, iar eroina ei, Margaret Hale, este una dintre cele mai originale creatii ale literaturii victoriene. Cand tatal lui Margaret Hale paraseste Biserica intr-o criza de constiinta, este fortata sa-si paraseasca casa confortabila in linistea linistita. Tara din Hampshire si se muta cu familia ei in orasul industrial fictiv Milton din nordul Angliei.