19th century

Although North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell is a novel that deals with a complexity of social issues related to the industrialization of Victorian England, it is the development of Margaret and Mr. Thornton’s relationship that carries the day. At nineteen, Margaret Hale is forced to deal with a series of dramatic changes that effect her life, eventually transforming her into a young woman who can think and reason for herself regardless of social mores.

Having spent her whole life in the south of England, Margaret is devastated when she hears the news that she will have to leave her beloved home. After wrestling with his conscience, her father feels compelled to leave his small, pastoral parish in the south for a job tutoring in the industrial north.

The book, however, is not really about the two contrasting cultures of the north and south, so much as a coming-of-age story about a young Victorian woman, against the backdrop of rebelling mill workers, and how she must also wrestle with her conscience in the many conflicting situations that arise.

The story hinges on the word “change.” Margaret deals with the changing religious beliefs of her father and brother, the changing relationships between master/owner and worker/servant, and the changing expectations of family roles, among many other issues.

The story is also about changes that happen to Margaret. She is transplanted to a new home, city, and environment with different societal attitudes and mores; in fact, a radically different world, society is changing (the world is becoming more industrial), and those around her are changing and leaving.

From the story’s opening, Margaret deals with a series of changes that impact her life. Her cousin, who she grew up intimately with as a sister, marries and moves away. Soon after, Margaret receives a proposal of marriage, which she is unprepared for and takes her by surprise. Then her father announces they are to move. When she arrives in Milton, the changes seem to intensify and multiply, piling one on top of the other, overwhelming her and crushing her spirit until she collapses, her conscience shattered. It is only at this point, when she recognizes her esteem of Mr. Thornton’s good opinion, that she begins to let down her self-righteous facade and opens herself up for love.

North and South is a most remarkable book in that it generates discussion. It is a book of class distinctions, social mores, workers’ rights vs. owners’ rights, a woman struggling to live out Christian principles in a secular world, pride vs. humility, and much more.

It is about a woman who bucks the system, but not because of self-centered reasons, so much as striving to put Christian principles into action. While the backdrop is the workers rebelling against the “masters,” Margaret is rebelling against the social mores of class and gender, especially concerning the relationships between men and women and in particular regarding marriage. At nineteen, she is unsure of her feelings and thoughts and is struggling to make sense of it all. These multiple layers allow the reader to probe beyond the love story. While the social issues and especially the conflict between the owners and the workers may seem to take precedence; North and South is primarily a love story. It has been compared to Pride and Prejudice with greater depth because of the social issues.

Although North and South is a romantic tale, it mimics reality. As Margaret and Mr. Thornton’s relationship unfolds, it is filled with misunderstandings and frustrating circumstances that are not resolved until the end. As the tension builds between the mill workers and the owners, their relationship also seems to grow. Just when Margaret begins to see Mr. Thornton for the truly good person that he is, their relationship blows up along with the strikers festering discontent. Similar to the conflict between the owners and the workers, Margaret and Mr. Thornton’s relationship is likewise stalemated because they refuse to see the other side’s perspective. Impeded by their own human weaknesses, they seem blind to the goodness in the other and unable to rise above their human faults. It is their continual striving to do the right thing that sets things aright in the end.

Unlike the original Pride and Prejudice, Margaret is the one with both the pride and the prejudice. She has preconceived notions of Mr. Thornton and Milton even before she meets him or lives in Milton. Only after she lives there some time and is removed to the south again does she come to love and fully appreciate Milton and Mr. Thornton.

What adds greatly to the development of the story is how Gaskell deftly moves from one point of view to the other. She seems to know intuitively when to switch the point of view, so that just when we think we begin to understand a situation from one character’s point of view, we realize that from another’s, there is a totally different perspective. By doing so, Gaskell sheds light on the foundation of much conflict: misunderstanding.

There are also moments of tenderness and sweetness in the story, primarily on Mr. Thornton’s part. At the end of the story, his act of thoughtfulness is quite romantically touching.

Although I viewed the DVD first, inspiring me to read the book, I recommend reading the book first, since there are some major changes to the book, some are improvements and some are not. The character of Mr. Thornton has been altered. After I read the book, I went back and saw the movie again. There are many nuances related to what the characters are thinking and social mores that are not fully understood by watching the movie alone.

Gaskell does not offer pat answers to the complex problems of labor and management issues. She displays a definite understanding of both sides of the issues and proposes Christian ideals as solutions to the many problems.

Likewise, because of the constraints of the Victorian age, many of the misunderstandings between Margaret and Mr. Thornton are exacerbated. It is only through a Christian understanding of love that their relationship begins to blossom.

North and South is a book to read and reread again, because of the depth of the story and the many themes Gaskell addresses. Thoroughly entertaining and engaging, it is easy to immerse yourself in the lives of the characters. After many heart-wrenching struggles, Margaret emerges in the end a transformed and better person.

Although this story was written for an adult audience, it would be appropriate for high school age students. Edited for college use, The Norton Critical edition includes annotations, reviews written by her contemporaries, correspondence related to the novel, her short story “Lizzie Leigh,” recent critical essays, and more.

Whether you have read any of Jane Austen’s novels or not, Presenting Miss Jane Austen offers a fascinating glimpse into her family’s life. Although none of her family are famous for any extraordinary, worldly accomplishments, they are still far from dull or boring. By reading about her family life, we come to understand the many characters and plots in her novels. Woven throughout the biography are snippets from her novels and correspondence with others, providing insight between actual occurrences and scenes in her novels. While today we might consider the romance between Mr. Darcy and Miss Bennett a fairytale, Jane actually experienced through close family members more than one fairytale romance. What may be especially meaningful to learn about for the budding author is how her family created a home environment that fostered her writing abilities.

What was her family like? She grew up in a rather large family with four older brothers, Henry, James, Edward, and Francis, one older sister, Cassandra, and one younger brother, Charles. Her mother was a resourceful woman, who even cut up her handsome, scarlet riding habit to make clothes for her young sons. Her father, a rector, was a “sweet-tempered” man who “loved to teach and could make boys love to learn.”

As a young child, Jane was extremely shy. When she was six she went to school, but at age nine “her formal education was over; her real schooling was about to begin.” Unlike most children in similar family circumstances, she did not have a governess. She did, on the other hand, grow up with her father’s vast library.

From early on, we can begin to piece together what her family did to encourage her writing talents. She came from a loving family and they loved to learn. Besides reading books from her father’s vast library, her father loved to read aloud to the children from poetry, popular novels, and more. When the children were older they also enjoyed putting on charades and later on plays that they called theatricals.

As a young adult, Jane blossomed. Much like Elizabeth Bennett, she loved to dance. In a letter to her sister Cassandra, Jane relates to her “that there had been 20 dances at the ball and she had danced them all.”

One constant theme throughout Jane’s life is the love, affection, and support the family had for one another. “But the Steventon Austens, happy by nature and disciplined by training to let others be happy, would have scorned a family quarrel and family differences were laughed over rather than dwelt upon.”

Why do people enjoy reading Jane Austen’s books? After reading her biography, the answer becomes even more apparent. Her characters are real. So real that as May Lamberton Becker remarks, “You would recognize them today should you meet them at a party.” Even to Jane, they seemed real. When she and Henry visited an exhibition of paintings in London, she wrote to her niece Fanny that she had seen a portrait of Mrs. Bingley.

Her characters are real because they are, like Jane described one of her characters, Fanny Knight, “so odd, and all the time so perfectly natural—so peculiar in yourself, and yet so like everybody else!” One aspect of her characters that makes them particularly realistic is that her heroes and heroines are not perfect. They have faults. Although Austen pokes fun at other’s imperfections in her subtle way, she never succumbs to the derogatory put downs of today’s modern television sitcoms. Her humor is genteel.

At the same time, she recognizes that it is not just the other person who has faults, but that we all have weaknesses to overcome. The character of Elizabeth Bennett is a good example. Although she is the heroine, observing all the flaws in those around her and especially becoming exasperated with her mother’s and sisters’ shortcomings, she too recognizes that she is not perfect. If she continued to focus on the faults of others and never recognized her own, she would never have been able to grow in her relationship with Mr. Darcy.

To Jane, writing was a delight. As May Lamberton Becker noted about Jane writing Pride and Prejudice, “She smiled as she wrote it and whenever she thought of it she smiled.” Others in her family also delighted in reading Pride and Prejudice. “They kept on reading it more than once.” In fact, Jane once remarked about Elizabeth Bennett that “I think her as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print.”

Perhaps one of Jane Austen’s greatest writing strengths is that she wrote what she was familiar with and excelled in it. She spent 16 years patiently rewriting Pride and Prejudice until she was satisfied with the final outcome. How many authors would have the patience to rewrite something countless times over that many years? At the same time, she didn’t succumb to writing the popular Gothic romances of the time.

Reading Presenting Miss Jane Austen, has sparked my interest to go back and reread Pride and Prejudice and Emma as well as acquaint myself with all her other novels that I have never read. The author touches upon many intriguing aspects of Jane Austen’s life. We learn about her family, her life, her interests and thoughts through her correspondence, the progression of her writing career, and more. We even learn what her contemporaries, like Sir Walter Scott or George Eliot, thought of Jane Austen. After reading Pride and Prejudice, you may come to agree with Anthony Trollope that it is “the best novel in the English language.”

This is a fascinating and surprisingly readable (but lengthy) biography of St. John Vianney - the definitive one, carefully researched from the documents produced for the canonization process. It is most suitable for adults, but will be appropriate for teens who enjoy reading - it is particularly beneficial for young men considering the priesthood. Some of the particular stories about St. John Vianney and those whose lives he touched are absolutely amazing.

This book also bears a special recommendation from Pope John Paul II and had a substantial influence on his life. He had this to say about St. John Vianney and this particular book in his own book Gift and Mystery: On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination...

"With great emotion I visited the little old church where Saint John Vianney heard confessions, taught catechism, and gave his homilies. It was an unforgettable experience for me. From my seminary years I had been impressed by the figure of the Cure d'Ars, especially after reading his biography by Monsignor Trochu. Saint John Marie Vianney astonishes us because in him we can see the power of grace working through human limitations. It was his heroic service in the confessional which particularly struck me. That humble priest, who would hear confessions more than ten hours a day, eating little and sleeping only a few hours, was able, at a difficult moment in history, to inspire a kind of spiritual revolution in France..." (pp. 57, Gift and Mystery by Pope John Paul II)

In their latest "Budget Book", Bethlehem Books gives us a double dose of adventure featuring Ensign Peter Byrd of the "Fighting 95th" Riflemen of the British army.... The Flying Ensign (copyright 1960)

In the first story, the treacherous mountains of Northern Spain in winter provide a unique backdrop for the harrowing and courageous endeavours of "the Flying Ensign" and his comrades in rescuing their friend from certain death behind enemy lines and subsequently attempting to rejoin the ranks of the British army as they retreat from a desperate and lop-sided challenge to Napoleon's forces.

Fans of Showell Styles' Midshipman Quinn stories will recognize the similar attention to detail and themes of courage and ingenuity tied up with actual historic events in the Flying Ensign but with fresh characters, settings, and adventures. The landscape, architecture and culture of Spain are a fascinating place to experience mountain climbing adventures, hair-raising rescues and escapes and a wide variety of heroes and villains on both sides of the battle lines.

A quick and engaging read for ages 10 and up or a great read aloud for the whole family.

Also see our review of the second book in this volume - Byrd of the 95th.