Like Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell had a favourite book she had written. For Gaskell, this book was ‘Cranford’, published in 1853. ‘Cranford’ is a book that Gaskell called it the only one of her books that she rereads, and the book that she reads if she needs to laugh. It’s a hilarious and wonderful look at a small town and the people who live there.
‘Cranford’ is one of those novels that really has no plot. There is no mystery. There is no real tension that keeps a reader engaged and absorbed. Rather, it is a series of vignettes about life in this little English village, focusing on a small group of friends and their “adventures” as they meander through life. While it may not be the most exciting of novels, there is something about these glimpses into genteel life that is utterly charming. Therein lies its power.
‘Cranford’ grew out of a short story (now the first two chapters) and it reads like a series of episodes in the fictional town of Cranford. The central characters are Mary Smith and her friends, the spinster sisters Miss Matty and Miss Deborah. It is a quaint, comedic ode to small town life, and remains Gaskell’s most famous work.
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