Online Course: A Man’s World with Elizabeth Gaskell’s House

There’s a lot we can learn from Victorian novellists. They saw society (or the slice of it they were in), and found ways to immortalise it in the stories they wrote. Elizabeth Gaskell is one of Manchester’s most notable novellists of the time, as a contemporary of Charles Dickens and Thomas Carlyle her work firmly holds relevance in today’s societal climate. Dr Sherry Ashworth will be taking a more detailed look at the role men play within the work of Ms Gaskell, and other authors of the era, in an online course A Man’s World hosted by Elizabeth Gaskell’s house.

The course begins by interrogating the role of John Barton. He is a character from Gaskell’s first published novel which came out under anonymous authorship but gained the recognition needed for her to continue her writing career. The sessions will then move the spotlight towards John Thornton from North and South who will be held in comparison alongside Mr Rochester from Charlotte Bonte’s Jane Eyre, following an overarching theme of lovers.

The sessions also cover George Eliot’s Felix Holt a radical activist and lover, Jabez Clegg from Isabella Banks’ A Manchester Man before finishing with the empire building men of Rudyard Kipling’s novella The Man Who Would Be King. The course in general reflects on the ideas of how the Victorian era was very much a man’s world but not without nuance and its own difficulties for the men living in it.

The course is aimed at a general reader, curious to learn more so will be focused around inclusive discussion and accessible learning. Sessions will take place on zoom, however, spaces are limited so as to allow for a sense of flow and the chance for everyone to actively participate.

For those who can’t commit to a regular time attendees are welcome to book onto individual sessions as well as the full course. Click the book now link to find out more.