Mary Barton (Wordsworth Classics)
Product ID: 165241447
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Mary Barton by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell Elizabeth Gaskell's first novel depicts nothing less than the great clashes between capital and labour, which arose from rapid industrialisation and problems of trade in the mid-nineteenth century. But these clashes are dramatized through personal struggles. John Barton has to reconcile his personal conscience with his socialist duty, risking his life and liberty in the process. His daughter Mary is caught between two lovers, from opposing classes - worker and manufacturer. And at the heart of the narrative lies a murder which implicates them all. Mary Barton was published in 1848, at a time of great social ferment in Europe, and it reflects its revolutionary moment through an English lens. Elizabeth Gaskell wrote her first novel about the world in which she lived - Manchester at the height of the industrial revolution. As the wife of a Unitarian minister she was solidly middle-class; but she also had close contact with the working classes around her, sympathised with them, and represented their extreme distresses in her fiction. She is radical in taking on their dialect, imagining the realities of their lives, and placing a working woman at the centre of her fiction. If to our eyes her vision remains limited, it was an honest vision, for which she was much criticised in her own time, by her own class. Review: What a read!! - Am thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Arrived quickly and intact. Review: Five Stars - Wonderful book for any Victorian age reader
| Best Sellers Rank | #126,317 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #3,381 in Classic Literature & Fiction |
| Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 177 Reviews |
J**E
What a read!!
Am thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Arrived quickly and intact.
S**H
Five Stars
Wonderful book for any Victorian age reader
P**2
Today and Yesterday… Connected
Great read about the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. Shows how far we have come in 200 years. Not perfectly written but its writing flaws are vastly exceeded by its historical accuracy.
C**S
Dissappointed
The words are very tiny and the book looks worn out like it's been used
S**S
I hate Mary
First of all, the book came in great condition. I don't know, Elizabeth Gaskell just...annoys me? Mary Barton's character was INCREDIBLY ANNOYING. The only Gaskell book I enjoyed was "North and South". Anyhoo, when Mary was in a feverish way toward the end, overwhelmed with grief and stress and laying in bed like she was dying, I so, so badly wanted to crawl inside the book and slap her across the face. She is the most annoying character since Clarissa Harlowe. I just...didn't like Mary. In fact, I HATED Mary. I don't know why she angers me so much. Maybe because she was always fainting, feeling sorry for herself, etc etc? UGH! UGH! UGH!
O**R
Dreadfully boring.
I think this has to be one of the most boring books I have ever read. I really had to push myself to finish it. Maybe Gaskell is renowned, but this one doesn't live up to her reputation.
C**A
Most excellent first novel by Elizabeth Gaskell
This is the first Elizabeth Gaskell novel that I have actually read instead of watching adaptations on the television, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will continue to read others by her as this one was so good. In my opinion we have a lot to learn from her observations as well as learning a great deal of social history in Victorian times. Would recommend everyone reads this.
S**R
Good Edition
Wordsworth classics. original book. Great quality.
F**T
très complet et intéressant
belle histoire
V**.
perfetto
perfetto.
C**3
parfait
Très bon marché, très bon livre, avec une introduction intéressante. Merci ! J'espère juste que ce genre de produits et de prix ne tuent pas le monde de l'édition...
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