| Mary Barton |
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| english novels | |
| 1848 novels | |
| novels by elizabeth gaskell | |
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Mary Barton, the eponymous heroine, is a millworker's daughter; her mother died in childbirth. As a Dressmaker 's assistant, Mary comes into contact with the wealthy Carson family, especially their young son Harry. As she begins to believe that she, too, can find her way into a middle-class family, she rejects her devoted lover Jem Wilson to court Harry. Her father's reaction to this decision leads to him committing a terrible crime, for which all the other characters must pay. The book explores the frustration of the British lower classes and the false sense of class mobility in the 1800s. It contains many scenes of violence, including the tossing of vitrol (or acid) on a worker who attempts to work during a strike. The Chartist Movement is shown in a violent but necessary light, causing readers of the day to question the working conditions of the lower class. Much of this novel is Autobiographical , incorporating incidents from Gaskell's own life, including several references to the deaths of children. EXTERNAL LINKS |
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