Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

In this poignant comedy of early Victorian life, Elizabeth Gaskell explores the effects of Victorian commerce and imperial expansion on the survival of customs from earlier times. This new edition includes an introduction by Patricia Ingham that places the novel in its literary and historical context.

Mrs Gaskell's first novel, Mary Barton portrays city life in the hungry forties of the 19th century. In this Penguin Classics edition, a new introduction focusses on the novel's artistry and its liberal politics.

Set in the 1790s in the Yorkshire seaside town of Monkshaven Elizabeth Gaskell called Sylvia's Lovers the 'saddest story I ever wrote'. In it she deals profoundly with the themes of unrequited love, jealousy and individual choices.