North and South (Wordsworth Classics)

If you had to describe "North and South," it would probably be something like "Jane Austen with more sociopolitical content." That sounds painfully dry and unromantic, but Elizabeth Gaskell managed expertly to wind together a tempestuous romance with a story about mills, workers and unions in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. While the beginning is a bit slow, and the ending a bit abrupt, the rich prose and passionate central relationship really make this an arresting piece of work. After a decade living in London, Margaret Hale returns to the idyllic country village of Helstone to live with her parents. But then her father declares that he is leaving the Church of England out of vague religious scruples, and is instead becoming a classical tutor. Unfortunately for Margaret, this means moving to the dirty, hardscrabble northern town of Milton, which contains several mills and manufacturing businesses. Her father's first pupil is Mr. Thornton, who worked his way up out of poverty through brains and hard work, and now owns a cotton mill. Thornton considers Margaret proud and snobby, and she dislikes him because she believes he's unfair and harsh to his workers. And she's not the only one -- the dissatisfied workers of Milton have begun to rebel against their employers, forming a union and going on strike. Thornton finds himself in the middle of the conflict, even as Margaret struggles to help her ailing mother -- and despite being on different sides of the increasingly heated conflict, the two of them begin to fall in love. But misunderstandings, class differences and tragedy stand in their way. "North and South" is relatively obscure, compared to works by the Brontes or Jane Austen. That's a shame, because Elizabeth Gaskell's story can be considered as gripping and romantic as theirs -- a love that has to triumph over snobbery, class differences, prejudice and the whole weird situation with Margaret's brother. Like the immortal Lizzie and Darcy, Thornton and Margaret start off disliking each other, but gradually see each other's worth in their actions and passionate debates. What sets this book apart from other period romances is the whole plot about the workers and industrialists. This book was published after the flowering of the Industrial Revolution, when labor in mills and factories was cheap and dangerous, and there were no laws or safety regulations to protect people. It would be easy to just demonize the big nouveau riche guys like Thornton, but Gaskell makes a genuine effort to show both sides of the conflict -- neither side is all nobility or all villainy. And it deepens the relationship between Thornton and Margaret, because their clash is over real societal issues. In Austenian style, both of them must change their attitudes before they can find happiness -- the strong-willed Thornton must learn more compassion and understanding for his workers, and the fiery, romantic Margaret must learn to appreciate people not for what their profession is, but who they truly are. This applies to some of the other characters as well, who are given plenty of dimension -- the bombastic Higgins, a leader of the unions who is softened by Margaret's kindness; Thornton's crusty mother; and Margaret's dying friend who gives her time in Milton some purpose. Gaskell's writing can be a little dense at times, like most Victorian novels where people were paid by the word. But she manages to use them pretty effectively, scattering moments of bleak poetry ("Senseless and purposeless were wood and iron and steam in their endless labours") amidst the dramatic dialogue and intricate descriptions. The only problem is the ending -- while it finishes in a satisfactory way, the final scene is so... abrupt. Boom, it's over. You'd expect a final epilogue to tell you what happens next, but it never happens. Despite the abrupt ending, "North and South" is a rich, layered novel where romantic passions clash with serious societal issues -- think "Pride and Prejudice," but with class issues and lots of factories.

The PBS production was excellent! Actors were ALL fine, interest captured and maintained throughout. The series was historical fiction (one of my favorite reading categories), and it was informative in showing the various (strong) differences between northern and southern regions of England, as well as delivering good character studies of the period (mid-19th century). I was surprised to learn that although the original book had been written by Elizabeth Gaskell, a popular writer of the time (born in 1810, died in 1865), the plot was relevant even today.

Good book. Long read.

Read this after seeing the BBC mini series. There are some differences between the book and tv series that are noticeable, but the general story is the same. With any book set in a different time period you have to read a little slower as grammar and sentence structure are a bit different. Would recommend and reread.

I’ve been looking for this book with a cute cover and finally found one! Great!! Arrived in damaged!

Bought during the height of CoVid-19 furlough, and before Books-by Mail started up again, I bought this to have something to read because I really like the movie. As usual, the book and movie are different. I've kg yet finished this however I'm glad I purchased it because when the time comes where we can safely go on long trips and taking a library book isn't a good idea for me, I can pack this.

This is a great story. There is much about the culture and time of the industrial revolution in northern England. It gives a clearer view of what it must have been like to live and work for the Masters of the cotton weaving mills. The descriptions of the efforts that the cotton had on the workers were disturbing. The pollution of the water caused by the dyes at the mills was graphic when a disgruntled worker drowned in the polluted waters. But more than that it is a slow moving love story about a young woman from the South and a Master from the North who struggle with their cultures to fine that love can conquer most things.

Beautifully written. Better than Jane Austen - I sometimes find Austen a little too wordy and while North and South is certainly not short on words, they come together so elegantly that you don't realize how long the book is. Highly recommended. After reading, be sure to check out the BBC adaption!

Wer die BBC-Verfilmung mit Richard Armitage kennt, kommt nicht darum herum, den Roman zu lesen. Schon die Verfilmung fängt den Geist des großartigen Romans der viktorianischen Autorin Elizabeth C. Gaskell gekonnt ein. Jeder Darsteller wird der Figur, die er verkörpert, im vollen Umfang gerecht. So erleben wir eine gutherzige, jedoch leicht voreingenommene und kratzbürstige Margaret, die sich ihrer eigenen Unzulänglichkeiten und Vorurteile bewusst wird und erst dadurch vom jungen Mädchen zur reifen Frau heranwächst. Wir erleben einen kühl wirkenden, jedoch heißblütig liebenden und leidenden John Thornton, unter dessen harter Schale ein wicher Kern verborgen liegt. Auch der hitzköpfige Nicolas Higgins scheint geradewegs dem Roman entsprungen zu sein! Fünf Sterne reichen nicht aus. Wer Stolz und Vorurteil liebt (wie ich das tue), der wird North and South geradezu vergöttern. Zwar weicht das Ende der Verfilmung vom Originalende des Romans ab. Un dennoch widerspricht es nicht dem Geist des Romans. Denn hier wie dort bricht sich die Liebe atemberaubend Bahn!!!! Spätestens dann ist man John Thornton verfallen... Persönlich habe ich sofort das englische Originalbuch mitbestellt, und es ist ebenso großartig. Jedoch schwierig zu lesen, da Elizabeth Gaskell für ihre Provinzialismen in der Sprache bekannt ist. Wer das Englische jedoch gut genug beherrscht, der sollte es versuchen. Deutsche Übersetzung gab es lange Zeit keine wirklich gut - die erste zeitgenössische Übersetzung von Christina Neth war leider mangelhaft und verdarb mir, die ich den Originalroman kenne, die Freude daran. Es mangelte mir persönlich an der Liebe zu den Figuren: Und - seien wir einmal ehrlich - wie kann man den Hitzkopf Nicolas Higgins, der nur das Beste will, dabei aber oft Fehler macht und dadurch so menschlich wirkt, seine kränkliche und herzallerliebste Tochter Bessy, deren Leid einem zum Herzen geht, den idealistischen Mr. Hale, seine kranke und oftmals schwache Frau Maria, die erst im größten Leid entdeckt, wie viel Kraft eigentlich in ihr schlummert, und nicht zuletzt die störrische und selbstbewusste Margaret und den heißblütigen John Thornton nicht lieben? Wie kann man diese Figuren nicht sofort ins Herz schließen - vor allem, wenn man so viel Zeit mit ihnen verbringt wie bei einer Übersetzung??? Es mangelt den Figuren oft am letzten Schliff. Und "Nebenfiguren" (oder das, was die Übersetzerin Neth dafür hielt) wie die resolute Dixon wurden gar gänzlich vernachlässigt. Dabei bietet sich hier die Möglichkeit zu wahrem Tiefgang. Nunmehr wurde aber vor Kurzem diesem Mangel Abhilfe geschaffen. Es gibt jetzt eine zweite deutsche Übersetzung von Roswitha Geyss. Und dass Frau Geyss die Personen liebt, ist offensichtlich. Eine der besten Szenen ist der Dialog zwischen Margaret und Dixon, als Dixon ihr von ihrem überraschenden Treffen mit Leonards berichtet. Jedes Wort des resoluten Hausmädchens sitzt - und spiegelt den Süden wieder, wohingegen Nicolas sich im nördlichen Dialekt austoben darf. Die Übersetzerin hat einen ganz besonderen Coup gelandet - denn hat sie doch tatsächlich den echten John Thornton, Baumwollfabrikant aus Manchester, ausfindig machen können, dessen Lebens- und Liebesgeschichte mit der jungen Mary, der Tochter eines ehemaligen Priesters, nicht weniger faszinierend ist als Elizabeth Gaskells Fiktion; diese bildet den krönenden Abschluss der Übersetzung. Gleichzeitig kann man davon ausgehen, dass über John Thornton damals in England so viele Geschichten kursierten, dass Elizabeth Gaskell sich sicherlich deren Faszination nicht gänzlich entziehen konnte, als sie ihre Romanfigur schuf. Die Parallelen sind nicht zu übersehen. Die Übersetzerin Roswitha Geyss hat sich an die Orte seines Wirkens begeben und die Originalschauplätze aufgesucht, die heute noch immer nahezu unverändert erhalten sind - und das rund 200 Jahre später! Fotos davon zieren den Roman. Gleichzeitig findet man dort auch das, was sicher viele begeisterte Leserinnen und Fans der BBC-Mini-Serie ganz besonders interessiert - nämlich ein Foto des echten John Thornton und seiner liebreizenden Mary... Und zur Beruhigung kann ich sagen - die Ähnlichkeit mit Richard Armitage ist verblüffend...! Wer also die Serie liebt oder lieben lernen will, das englische Buch geliebt hat und Hintergrundinformationen zum echten John Thornton will, dem sei gleichzeitig auch diese Übersetzung ans Herz gelegt. Ihr werdet es nicht bereuen!!!!!! Schlussendlich noch folgende Anmerkung am Rande: Die Übersetzung von Roswitha Geyss enthält auch Infos zu Leben und Werk der Elizabeth Gaskell sowie einen Hinweis darauf, wo man noch heute Spuren des echten John Thornton findet. Und ihre Kontaktdaten. Also, Leute: Worauf wartet ihr noch???? Paperback ISBN 978-3-7323-5650-8 Hardcover ISBN 978-3-7323-5651-5 E-Book ISBN: 978-3-7323-5652-2 http://www.amazon.de/Norden-S%C3%BCden-Illustrierte-Sonderausgabe-Thornton/dp/3732356515/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1446290195&sr=8-2&keywords=gaskell+norden+und+s%C3%BCden

I bought an old and used copy, but no matter. It was in sufficiently good condition. And the story itself was amazing. Mr. Thornton is bae. Margaret is #goals. I was visualizing Richard Armitage from the BBC adaptation while reading, and the casting was seamless. There's enough suspense, enough "will they won't they" to keep you on your toes. The last chapter will steal your breath away.

This isn’t the accurate cover. I got a beaten up old book with an ugly print.

La lettura in lingua originale non è facile: un linguaggio decisamente più costruito di quello ad esempio della Austen e di Dickens, unito ad alcuni dialoghi in dialetto popolare del Nord e anche qualche citazione dalle sacre scritture può rendere la lettura a momenti un po' difficile, ma ne vale sicuramente la pena. Anche attraverso la lingua si scopre un mondo in parte sconosciuto, e si sottolineano le contrapposizioni. La Gaskell ha scritto un libro autobiografico, quindi ciò che descrive è lo specchio del suo tempo. Ambientato in epoca vittoriana, protagonista una donna, Margaret Hale, che nel corso nel libro sviluppa una profonda coscienza sociale e raggiunge la maturità come donna. Parte da un ambiente del Sud, ricco e tradizionale, "morbido" come siamo abituati a trovarlo intorno alle eroine della Austen. Ma si sposta nel ben più sconosciuto Nord, nel pieno della rivoluzione industriale, con le prime contrapposizioni sociali tra padroni e operai, ma anche classe produttiva e intellettuali. E poi ritorna al sud, per rileggere con nuovi occhi quanto trovato all'inizio. E' riduttivo descrivere tutti gli elementi del libro, viene continuamente messa nuova carne al fuoco: è un libro avvincente per la storia, ma anche pieno di riferimenti alla vita reale dell'inizio dell'ottocento. E' un libro emozionante, di scoperta e di elaborazione. Da non perdere la prefazione, ma da leggere alla fine come postfazione, che aggiunge in modo chiaro alcune chiavi di lettura.

My favourite book now. Mrs Gaskell is amazing.