Wives and DaughtersWith an Introduction and Notes by Dinny Thorold, University of Westminster Gaskell's last novel, widely considered her masterpiece, follows the fortunes of two families in nineteenth century rural England. At its core are family relationships - father, daughter and step-mother, father and sons, father and step-daughter - all tested and strained by the romantic entanglements that ensue. Despite its underlying seriousness, the prevailing tone is one of comedy. Gaskell vividly portrays the world of the late 1820s and the forces of change within it, and her vision is always humane and progressive. The story is full of acute observation and sympathetic character-study: the feudal squire clinging to old values, his naturalist son welcoming the new world of science, the local doctor and his scheming second wife, the two girls brought together by their parent's marriage... |
Contents
The Dawn of a Gala | 3 |
3 | 25 |
4 | 31 |
5 | 40 |
6 | 54 |
Preparing for the Wedding | 123 |
13 | 131 |
14 | 141 |
Domestic Diplomacy | 353 |
A Fluke and What Came of It | 358 |
Mr Kirkpatrick QC | 370 |
Secret Thoughts Ooze Out | 380 |
Molly Gibson Breathes Freely | 391 |
Gathering Clouds | 398 |
The Storm Bursts | 409 |
Cynthias Confession | 417 |
15 | 153 |
16 | 160 |
17 | 169 |
18 | 179 |
19 | 190 |
Mrs Gibsons Visitors | 200 |
The HalfSisters | 208 |
The Old Squires Troubles | 220 |
Osborne Hamley Reviews his Position | 230 |
Mrs Gibsons Little Dinner | 238 |
Hollingford in a Bustle | 244 |
A Charity Ball | 252 |
Father and Sons | 268 |
Rivalry | 275 |
BushFighting | 286 |
Old Ways and New Ways | 298 |
A Passive Coquette | 306 |
Coming Events | 313 |
Brightening Prospects | 326 |
A Lovers Mistake | 332 |
The Mothers Manoeuvre | 340 |
Molly Gibson to the Rescue | 425 |
Confidences | 434 |
Hollingford Gossips | 442 |
Scandal and its Victims | 450 |
An Innocent Culprit | 460 |
Molly Gibson Finds a Champion | 469 |
Cynthia at Bay | 477 |
Troubles Never Come Alone | 488 |
Squire Hamleys Sorrow | 496 |
Unlookedfor Arrivals | 506 |
Molly Gibsons Worth is Discovered | 516 |
An Absent Lover Returns | 526 |
Off with the Old Love and on with the New | 534 |
Bridal Visits and Adieux | 542 |
Reviving Hopes and Brightening Prospects | 551 |
Molly Gibson at Hamley Hall | 560 |
Roger Hamleys Confession | 569 |
Concluding Remarks | 581 |
NOTES | 587 |