Mary Barton
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell, published by Penguin in April 1997, is a new edition of the classic novel that spans 464 pages. The story follows Mary Barton, the daughter of a disillusioned trade unionist, as she navigates the complexities of love and class struggle in 19th-century England. Torn between her working-class lover, Jem Wilson, and Henry Carson, the son of a mill owner, Mary faces a heart-wrenching dilemma when Henry is murdered and Jem becomes the prime suspect.
Readers will find a poignant exploration of class divides during the ‘hungry forties’ through the lens of personal tragedy. The narrative not only delves into Mary’s emotional conflict but also presents a moving portrayal of her father, John Barton, an embittered yet courageous activist. This edition includes an introduction by Maconald Daly, who discusses the significance of Gaskell’s work in highlighting the stark contrasts between rich and poor, a theme that resonates throughout her literary contributions.
Official synopsis Publisher
‘O Jem, her father won’t listen to me, and it’s you must save Mary! You’re like a brother to her’
Mary Barton, the daughter of disillusioned trade unionist, rejects her working-class lover Jem Wilson in the hope of marrying Henry Carson, the mill owner’s son, and making a better life for herself and her father. But when Henry is shot down in the street and Jem becomes the main suspect, Mary finds herself painfully torn between the two men. Through Mary’s dilemma, and the moving portrayal of her father, the embittered and courageous activist John Barton, Mary Barton (1848) powerfully dramatizes the class divides of the ‘hungry forties’ as personal tragedy. In its social and political setting, it looks towards Elizabeth Gaskell’s great novels of the industrial revolution, in particular North and South.
In his introduction Maconald Daly discusses Elizabeth Gaskell’s first novel as a pioneering book that made public the great division between rich and poor – a theme that inspired much of her finest work.
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