Bedford Public Library

Cranford, Elizabeth Gaskell ; edited with an introduction and notes by Patricia Ingham

eng

no index present

novels

Cranford

Elizabeth Gaskell ; edited with an introduction and notes by Patricia Ingham

In a small town called Cranford, everyone knows everyone?s business. As families and individuals live their lives in the small Victorian town, they are challenged to change and adapt to new social customs instead of ascribing to out-of-date customs and ideals. This novel is presented in vignettes and short sketches that show the humorous bits of living in Cranford, rather than having a particular plot. Main characters include: Mary Smith as the narrator; the Jenkyns family, who, with their friends, represent “the old ways” of Cranford; and the impoverished Brown family, whose arrival in the town is the precipitating action for many of the social changes early in the novel

Chronology -- Introduction -- Further reading -- Notes on the Text -- Cranford -- Appendix I, The last generation in England and The cage at Cranford -- Appendix II, The nature and role of women -- Appendix III, Fashion at Cranford -- Glossary -- Notes