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Cousin Phillis and Other Stories
Elizabeth Gaskell has long been one of the most popular of Victorian novelists, yet in her lifetime her shorter fictions were equally well loved, and they are among the most accomplished examples of the genre. The heart of this collection is Gaskell's novella Cousin Phillis, a lyrical masterpiece that depicts a vanishing way of life and a girl's disappointment in love: deceptively simple, its undercurrent of feeling leaves an indelible impression. The other five stories in this selection range from a quietly original tale of urban poverty and a fallen woman to an historical tale in which echoes of the French Revolution, the bleakness of winter in Westmorland, and a tragic secret are brought vividly to life. Heather Glen's illuminating introduction is the first to offer extended consideration of Gaskell as a writer of short stories, discussing Gaskell's pre-eminent role in developing the genre and setting each story in the context of their original periodical publication. The volume includes a chronology, bibliography, and invaluable notes.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
267 pages, Paperback
First published August 26, 1982
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249 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Gaskell
1,142 books3,766 followersElizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, née Stevenson (29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to simply as Mrs. Gaskell, was an English novelist and short story writer during the Victorian era. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many strata of society, including the very poor, and as such are of interest to social historians as well as lovers of literature.
AKA:
Елізабет Гаскелл (Ukrainian)
AKA:
Елізабет Гаскелл (Ukrainian)
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
August 4, 2023
Even the best authors occasionally write pot-boilers, and this seems to be one; a collection of mostly mediochre short stories from the great Victorian novelist Elizabeth Gaskell. There are six stories in the collection:
Lizzie Leigh (1850)
Morton Hall (1853)
My French Master (1853)
Half a Life-Time Ago (1855)
The Manchester Marriage (1858)
Cousin Phillis (1863)
"Lizzie Leigh", described as "a touching tale" seems, to a modern reader, an overly sentimental piece on a hackneyed theme. A daughter, in what used to be referred to as an unfortunate condition, having been taken advantage of by her employer, goes missing, and the story begins with her father forgiving her from his deathbed. The mother and son vow to track her down. You could really write the rest of the story yourself, if you have read much Victorian fiction. The ending is predictably bitter-sweet.
"Morton Hall" is a tale from history, which follows the ups and downs of the Mortons, an aristocratic family. It is a dour morality tale told from the point of a "follower" of this great family of note. The narrator's ancestors had always been servants to the Mortons, and tenants of theirs for over 300 years. The first section is set in England during Oliver Cromwell's time during the first Civil war which ended with the execution of Charles I, and then the early days of the reign of Charles II. The following two parts seem rather uneven, as if the author had not edited her story as carfeully as the she did the first part. The account switches between being rather dry, and then written in a rather overblown style.
"My French Master" is also historical fiction, but in this case the narrator is telling her own history rather than that of her antecedants. It therefore engages the reader more, having more immediacy and interest. It tell of the fortunes of Monsieur de Chalabre, a French nobleman, who had escaped the French Revolution. Arriving in England he ostensibly passed the time as a private teacher of French to the narrator and her sister when they were children, in 1793.
The story follows the course of events both in France and in England, from the point of view of a child living in the New Forest. From this temporary employment, Monsieur de Chalabre's position had become increasingly precarious. He attempted to return to France around 1815 and to retain his commission as a sous-lieutenant, but was not recognised by the new system. Neither did events pass well on his neglected estate. The Frenchman returned to England, but as a much humbled man,
"The 'de' was dropped now and for evermore."
He now appeared to teach in schools from necessity, rather than as a temporary situation,
"He respectfully asked me to distribute these papers [self-advertisments] where I thought fit ... there was none of the old deferential gallantry, as offered by a gentleman to a lady, his equal in birth and fortune - instead, there was a matter-of-fact request and statement which a workman offers to his employer."
This is a "riches to rags" story; an account of a nobleman whose life changed dramatically. The story continues in the same vein, following a similar path to the others in this collection. It is a tale full of trials and misfortunes; a moral fable in which coincidences are rather too apparent.
"Half a Life-Time Ago" is one of the better ones in the collection. It is a chronicle of the life of Susan Dixon, who lived on a farm in Westmoreland. There are two other main characters: her brother, Will, and her intended husband, Michael Hurst. The events in the story are unremittingly harsh and depressing; full of doom and gloom, with an oppressive feel throughout. It is a dour and bleak portrayal of the harshness of life in a small Lake District village at the end of the 19th Century. The relationships are described in a gritty claustrophobic manner, perfectly reflecting the main character's feeling of being trapped by her circumstances and life. As in "Lizzie Leigh", the language used is partly dialect, but although this is a grim read indeed, and rather "preachy" in style, the storyline is more original. It has an unpredictable surprise ending, as dark and twisted as anything which has gone before.
"The Manchester Marriage" is another dark tale of a hidden secret. It tells what happens when a man, thought to be shipwrecked and long dead, returns to his former life. Predictably it has a tragic ending.
"Cousin Phillis" is a short novel or novella; the longest story in the collection. There is thus more scope for in-depth character portrayal, and the story is the better for it, since this is one of the things Elizabeth Gaskell can write so well.
The narrator, Paul Manning, describes his experience as a slow and awkward youth of seventeen, who moves to the country, close to his mother's family. At their farmhouse in Heathbridge Paul becomes fascinated by his second cousin, Phillis Holman, an adolescent girl, whom he cannot quite fathom,
"A stately, gracious young woman, in the dress, and with the simplicity, of a child,"
Phillis is gauche and gawky, both dressed and treated like a child by her parents, but tall, quick, and seemingly more intelligent than him. It becomes evident that she is not an adolescent but already a young woman. It also begins to be clear to the reader that Paul is becoming increasingly protective towards her.
The story unveils slowly, but holds the reader's interest in the way events build up and are described. It is set in 1840, when the railways were starting, and Victorian England was on the cusp of mechnisation and new farming methods. The story can be viewed as a microcosm of Victorian England of the time. Some characters, such as Phillis's father, the Reverend Ebenezer Holman, are staunch representatives of the old order, and others, such as Paul's friend Holdsworth - a dynamic vigorous young railway engineer - represent the new. Domestic situations are on the brink of change too. The female characters in this novel lead the typical confined lives of the Victorian female, yet they are beginning to feel frustrations; to feel the shackles of repression. This is the backdrop against which the family's tensions and trials are set.
Phillis Holman suffers love and loss. Each of her family is at a loss to help, because of the constraints of the culture and time. Phillis herself finds it impossible to freely express her feelings to anyone. Her father's moral code is shaken to the core and he cannot reconcile events with his ethics intact. Her mother is worn out by domestic drudgery and household concerns.
This story was originally serialised, and apparently Elizabeth Gaskell had intended to develop the story in two further instalments. These would have shown Phillis in later life, unmarried and doing good works in her little community.
However, there is a case to be made that it is all the stronger for being unresolved, and left with a question to be answered. It is, after all, unlikely that life will return to "the peace of the old days", that Phillis has predicted. The railway is already in evidence, and with our knowledge of the industrialisation which was to come, the reader is left with the feeling that nothing will be quite the same again.
Just as the new industrial world was encroaching on the old rural one, the stresses and strains of new patterns of behaviour, moralities and ways of life had resulted in a crisis situation within this small family. Their fears and doubts therefore mirror a critical point in time where momentous change was brewing within Victorian society as a whole.
This has much merit in the way it is told. Both nostalgia for the old rural ways, and excitement at the prospect of a new faster, mechanised age are conveyed. It is also a study in family loyalties, frustrations and divisions.
In "Cousin Phillis" Elizabeth Gaskell concentrates her attention on the developing awareness of passion in one central character. Unusually for English literature, she examines in detail the suffering it causes. It has been suggested that this anticipates, much as her great friend Charles Dickens during this same period did, the psychological novel of the 20th century. There was mutual admiration between the two authors for a decade or more, with Dickens publishing almost 40 stories and articles which she submitted to his magazine, "Household Words". Dickens referred to her as his "Scheherazade",
"I am sure your powers of narrative can never be exhausted by a single night, but must be good for at least a thousand nights and one."
Their relationship seemed to deteriorate by the time Gaskell was writing "North and South" though. She even thought he might steal ideas to include in his own book "Hard Times". At that point that he wrote in a letter,
"Mrs Gaskell - if I were her husband, how I would beat her!"
Then of course with all the very public rejection of his wife Kate, who had borne his ten children, that was the last straw for such an upright religious author as Elizabeth Gaskell, wife of a Unitarian minister.
All this is by way of digression, but it does emphasise the point that reading either author nowadays sometimes feels uncomfortably as if one is being preached at or sermonised. They both had intensely strong social consciences, and a devout wish to write persuasive fiction. However, their skill lay in whether they could clothe this in an entertaining form.
There is no doubt that Dickens had the ability to make his readers laugh uproariously one moment and cry in despair the next. Some of Gaskell's major works convey much heartfelt emotion and are very moving. However, most of these stories seem merely preachy, and not to be recommended for a modern audience. Unless the reader wishes to read the whole oeuvre by Elizabeth Gaskell, stick to "Cousin Phillis". That one merits 3★.
Lizzie Leigh (1850)
Morton Hall (1853)
My French Master (1853)
Half a Life-Time Ago (1855)
The Manchester Marriage (1858)
Cousin Phillis (1863)
"Lizzie Leigh", described as "a touching tale" seems, to a modern reader, an overly sentimental piece on a hackneyed theme. A daughter, in what used to be referred to as an unfortunate condition, having been taken advantage of by her employer, goes missing, and the story begins with her father forgiving her from his deathbed. The mother and son vow to track her down. You could really write the rest of the story yourself, if you have read much Victorian fiction. The ending is predictably bitter-sweet.
"Morton Hall" is a tale from history, which follows the ups and downs of the Mortons, an aristocratic family. It is a dour morality tale told from the point of a "follower" of this great family of note. The narrator's ancestors had always been servants to the Mortons, and tenants of theirs for over 300 years. The first section is set in England during Oliver Cromwell's time during the first Civil war which ended with the execution of Charles I, and then the early days of the reign of Charles II. The following two parts seem rather uneven, as if the author had not edited her story as carfeully as the she did the first part. The account switches between being rather dry, and then written in a rather overblown style.
"My French Master" is also historical fiction, but in this case the narrator is telling her own history rather than that of her antecedants. It therefore engages the reader more, having more immediacy and interest. It tell of the fortunes of Monsieur de Chalabre, a French nobleman, who had escaped the French Revolution. Arriving in England he ostensibly passed the time as a private teacher of French to the narrator and her sister when they were children, in 1793.
The story follows the course of events both in France and in England, from the point of view of a child living in the New Forest. From this temporary employment, Monsieur de Chalabre's position had become increasingly precarious. He attempted to return to France around 1815 and to retain his commission as a sous-lieutenant, but was not recognised by the new system. Neither did events pass well on his neglected estate. The Frenchman returned to England, but as a much humbled man,
"The 'de' was dropped now and for evermore."
He now appeared to teach in schools from necessity, rather than as a temporary situation,
"He respectfully asked me to distribute these papers [self-advertisments] where I thought fit ... there was none of the old deferential gallantry, as offered by a gentleman to a lady, his equal in birth and fortune - instead, there was a matter-of-fact request and statement which a workman offers to his employer."
This is a "riches to rags" story; an account of a nobleman whose life changed dramatically. The story continues in the same vein, following a similar path to the others in this collection. It is a tale full of trials and misfortunes; a moral fable in which coincidences are rather too apparent.
"Half a Life-Time Ago" is one of the better ones in the collection. It is a chronicle of the life of Susan Dixon, who lived on a farm in Westmoreland. There are two other main characters: her brother, Will, and her intended husband, Michael Hurst. The events in the story are unremittingly harsh and depressing; full of doom and gloom, with an oppressive feel throughout. It is a dour and bleak portrayal of the harshness of life in a small Lake District village at the end of the 19th Century. The relationships are described in a gritty claustrophobic manner, perfectly reflecting the main character's feeling of being trapped by her circumstances and life. As in "Lizzie Leigh", the language used is partly dialect, but although this is a grim read indeed, and rather "preachy" in style, the storyline is more original. It has an unpredictable surprise ending, as dark and twisted as anything which has gone before.
"The Manchester Marriage" is another dark tale of a hidden secret. It tells what happens when a man, thought to be shipwrecked and long dead, returns to his former life. Predictably it has a tragic ending.
"Cousin Phillis" is a short novel or novella; the longest story in the collection. There is thus more scope for in-depth character portrayal, and the story is the better for it, since this is one of the things Elizabeth Gaskell can write so well.
The narrator, Paul Manning, describes his experience as a slow and awkward youth of seventeen, who moves to the country, close to his mother's family. At their farmhouse in Heathbridge Paul becomes fascinated by his second cousin, Phillis Holman, an adolescent girl, whom he cannot quite fathom,
"A stately, gracious young woman, in the dress, and with the simplicity, of a child,"
Phillis is gauche and gawky, both dressed and treated like a child by her parents, but tall, quick, and seemingly more intelligent than him. It becomes evident that she is not an adolescent but already a young woman. It also begins to be clear to the reader that Paul is becoming increasingly protective towards her.
The story unveils slowly, but holds the reader's interest in the way events build up and are described. It is set in 1840, when the railways were starting, and Victorian England was on the cusp of mechnisation and new farming methods. The story can be viewed as a microcosm of Victorian England of the time. Some characters, such as Phillis's father, the Reverend Ebenezer Holman, are staunch representatives of the old order, and others, such as Paul's friend Holdsworth - a dynamic vigorous young railway engineer - represent the new. Domestic situations are on the brink of change too. The female characters in this novel lead the typical confined lives of the Victorian female, yet they are beginning to feel frustrations; to feel the shackles of repression. This is the backdrop against which the family's tensions and trials are set.
Phillis Holman suffers love and loss. Each of her family is at a loss to help, because of the constraints of the culture and time. Phillis herself finds it impossible to freely express her feelings to anyone. Her father's moral code is shaken to the core and he cannot reconcile events with his ethics intact. Her mother is worn out by domestic drudgery and household concerns.
This story was originally serialised, and apparently Elizabeth Gaskell had intended to develop the story in two further instalments. These would have shown Phillis in later life, unmarried and doing good works in her little community.
However, there is a case to be made that it is all the stronger for being unresolved, and left with a question to be answered. It is, after all, unlikely that life will return to "the peace of the old days", that Phillis has predicted. The railway is already in evidence, and with our knowledge of the industrialisation which was to come, the reader is left with the feeling that nothing will be quite the same again.
Just as the new industrial world was encroaching on the old rural one, the stresses and strains of new patterns of behaviour, moralities and ways of life had resulted in a crisis situation within this small family. Their fears and doubts therefore mirror a critical point in time where momentous change was brewing within Victorian society as a whole.
This has much merit in the way it is told. Both nostalgia for the old rural ways, and excitement at the prospect of a new faster, mechanised age are conveyed. It is also a study in family loyalties, frustrations and divisions.
In "Cousin Phillis" Elizabeth Gaskell concentrates her attention on the developing awareness of passion in one central character. Unusually for English literature, she examines in detail the suffering it causes. It has been suggested that this anticipates, much as her great friend Charles Dickens during this same period did, the psychological novel of the 20th century. There was mutual admiration between the two authors for a decade or more, with Dickens publishing almost 40 stories and articles which she submitted to his magazine, "Household Words". Dickens referred to her as his "Scheherazade",
"I am sure your powers of narrative can never be exhausted by a single night, but must be good for at least a thousand nights and one."
Their relationship seemed to deteriorate by the time Gaskell was writing "North and South" though. She even thought he might steal ideas to include in his own book "Hard Times". At that point that he wrote in a letter,
"Mrs Gaskell - if I were her husband, how I would beat her!"
Then of course with all the very public rejection of his wife Kate, who had borne his ten children, that was the last straw for such an upright religious author as Elizabeth Gaskell, wife of a Unitarian minister.
All this is by way of digression, but it does emphasise the point that reading either author nowadays sometimes feels uncomfortably as if one is being preached at or sermonised. They both had intensely strong social consciences, and a devout wish to write persuasive fiction. However, their skill lay in whether they could clothe this in an entertaining form.
There is no doubt that Dickens had the ability to make his readers laugh uproariously one moment and cry in despair the next. Some of Gaskell's major works convey much heartfelt emotion and are very moving. However, most of these stories seem merely preachy, and not to be recommended for a modern audience. Unless the reader wishes to read the whole oeuvre by Elizabeth Gaskell, stick to "Cousin Phillis". That one merits 3★.
October 30, 2024
Elizabeth Gaskell is such a brilliant short story writer. I’m so glad I finally picked these up. I had read Cousin Phillis for Victober 2020 and remember loving it. The rest of the stories were new to me. Here is the order in which I liked them, from most to least:
- Cousin Phillis
- Lizzie Leigh
- My French Master
- Half a Lifetime Ago
- Morton Hall
- The Manchester Marriage
Even those lower on the list were so fun to read, and I will definitely re-read them. Gaskell’s writing always pulls me right in.
Victober 2024.
- Cousin Phillis
- Lizzie Leigh
- My French Master
- Half a Lifetime Ago
- Morton Hall
- The Manchester Marriage
Even those lower on the list were so fun to read, and I will definitely re-read them. Gaskell’s writing always pulls me right in.
Victober 2024.
March 22, 2018
The first 5 stories were published in Dickens's periodical, Household Words.
Lizzie Leigh: a story of a fallen woman and what happens to her and her family. 4/5
Morton Hall: A very interesting tale of the history of a local hall and it's inhabitants. 5/5
My French Master: story of a French emigre to England because of the reign of terror in France. 5/5
Half a life time ago: Story of Susan Dixon, a yeoman farmer in the Westmoreland Dales. 5/6
The Manchester Marriage: 4/5
Cousin Phillis: a novella that was published alone of a girl who is disappointed in love. 4/5
Lizzie Leigh: a story of a fallen woman and what happens to her and her family. 4/5
Morton Hall: A very interesting tale of the history of a local hall and it's inhabitants. 5/5
My French Master: story of a French emigre to England because of the reign of terror in France. 5/5
Half a life time ago: Story of Susan Dixon, a yeoman farmer in the Westmoreland Dales. 5/6
The Manchester Marriage: 4/5
Cousin Phillis: a novella that was published alone of a girl who is disappointed in love. 4/5
August 15, 2020
I've only just realised how similar Gaskell and Dickens are. How synchronized their versions of England are; how they both lead their characters through hard work and toil, through overlooked tragedies – only to conclude with endings with a heavy tinge of bitterness.
And so, it only seems that natural that the two writers in fact knew each other. That the short stories in this collection first appeared in Dickens' Household Words.
Most of all, these short stories are tales of work; of social stature and class hierarcy. Of women and their rights (or lack thereof) in marriage. While Gaskell does tend to preach a bit and depict her heroines as saints, her imagery of working class England is perfect as ever.
And so, it only seems that natural that the two writers in fact knew each other. That the short stories in this collection first appeared in Dickens' Household Words.
Most of all, these short stories are tales of work; of social stature and class hierarcy. Of women and their rights (or lack thereof) in marriage. While Gaskell does tend to preach a bit and depict her heroines as saints, her imagery of working class England is perfect as ever.
July 21, 2017
I absolutely loved these stories. Gaskell writes with such penetrating insight into everyday life, its tragedies, disappointments and fulfillments.
Lizzie Leigh: Brilliant. Such a moving story, and whilst the ending feels a little bit rushed (problem with short stories) it was still incredible sad and touching.
Morton Hall: A story of decline and change in aristocratic England, which was probably my least favourite of the stories here, but that may have been that I was struggling to concentrate whilst I read it.
My French Master: I can't really remember this, which doesn't bode well!
Half a Life-Time ago: A sad and surprising story with heavy lesbian overtones, that I found really surprising within the context of nineteenth-century literature. Definitely one of the more interesting stories here.
The Manchester Marriage: This is one that probably would have worked better as a sub-plot of a longer novel. It was quite sensationalised in some ways, the kind-of-sort-of bigamy that fuelled novels of the mid-nineteenth century.
Cousin Phillis: A fascinating story that directly deals with industrial and cultural change within the Victorian era. The experience of a railway-engineer, it offers some fascinating insights into rail transportation at that time, and it suited a 100 page story very well. My favourite of all of the stories here.
Lizzie Leigh: Brilliant. Such a moving story, and whilst the ending feels a little bit rushed (problem with short stories) it was still incredible sad and touching.
Morton Hall: A story of decline and change in aristocratic England, which was probably my least favourite of the stories here, but that may have been that I was struggling to concentrate whilst I read it.
My French Master: I can't really remember this, which doesn't bode well!
Half a Life-Time ago: A sad and surprising story with heavy lesbian overtones, that I found really surprising within the context of nineteenth-century literature. Definitely one of the more interesting stories here.
The Manchester Marriage: This is one that probably would have worked better as a sub-plot of a longer novel. It was quite sensationalised in some ways, the kind-of-sort-of bigamy that fuelled novels of the mid-nineteenth century.
Cousin Phillis: A fascinating story that directly deals with industrial and cultural change within the Victorian era. The experience of a railway-engineer, it offers some fascinating insights into rail transportation at that time, and it suited a 100 page story very well. My favourite of all of the stories here.
October 9, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Cousin Phillis. Mrs. Gaskell is new to me and I am finding her to have written stories that have true insight into the human existence. She writes about tragic events with much love and compassion. These stories are truly character-driven and that is the type of book I enjoy most.
November 14, 2018
Gorgeous writing and beautiful stories.
January 15, 2021
Always a pleasure, Mrs. Gaskell.
December 5, 2024
Re-read 2024. I'm not sure why I liked 'Cousin Phillis' best of these stories last time round! Thus time I thought 'The Manchester Marriage' was the best (by a slim margin, in a weak field).
2014 review: I'm only giving this three stars for "Cousin Phillis"; I didn't enjoy the other stories at all.
"Cousin Phillis" has a likeable young narrator, Paul, who introduces his boss to his cousin and her family. Phillis falls for his boss, who intends to ask her to marry him on his return from two years' employment in Canada. While there he marries some one else and Phillis contracts "brain fever" as a result. Despite the slim plot, the depiction of Phillis' father (a dissenting minister) and his "Job's comforter" fellow ministers is well done. Mr Holdsworth (he who goes to Canada) is also a sympathetic character and I hoped at one point that the story was going to be about whether Phillis and her parents (with their serious and earnest faith) would see him as an acceptable husband, but that was not explored. I suppose part of Gaskell's "point" is about the way Phillis' parents have brought her up to be completely clueless about romance/men/marriage, but it is a bit tragic the way Victorian heroines always have such severe health crises when thwarted in love, rather than reminding themselves that there are plenty more fish in the sea.
"The Manchester Marriage" (again a slim plot) concerns a woman whose husband is lost at sea, but then escapes captivity by "savages" years later and returns to find her (in all innocence) happily remarried. This set up a really interesting dilemma, but he goes off and kills himself without her being any the wiser and the whole thing was a complete anti-climax.
"Half a Life Time Ago" was a sad story about a woman who chooses to keep a promise to her dying mother to care for her handicapped brother and thus loses her fiancé (who turns out to be a drunk and prone to violence anyway). The ending stretches belief in coincidence too far, although I love the last sentence: "And so it fell out that the latter days of Susan Dixon's life were better than the former". (As an aside, although I am sure it is very historically accurate, it is jarring to find a heroine who has lost all her teeth!)
"My French Master" was about an emigre from Normandy who escapes to England and teaches French to support himself. He fails to regain his estate after the restoration of the monarchy, marries a servant and makes the best of life in England. However due to an extraordinarily coincidental series of marriages, his family estate is restored to his daughter and he dies back at his ancestral home.
"Morton Hall" was a series of linked superstitious stories which required copious explanatory notes to understand and was my least favourite. Here too, by marrying the current (usurper) owner of the estate, the ousted old family was restored to its former home. Not sure what the point of this one was.
"Lizzie Leigh" concerned a servant girl who had a baby out of wedlock and was thus shut out of decent society. Her mother goes in search of her a couple of years later and her sons allow her to roam Manchester every evening looking for Lizzie (which seemed unfeeling and odd of them to me). By a series of extraordinary coincidences, the baby turns out to be being fostered by the woman the elder son loves. In another extraordinary cluster of events, the child falls down the stairs and is killed just as Lizzie is leaving money at the door for it. Lizzie and her family are reunited, the elder son marries and it all ends happily (except for the dead baby). Lizzie, despite the emphasis on forgiveness, is nevertheless condemned by the narrator to endlessly pray for this forgiveness and live a life of service to others.
2014 review: I'm only giving this three stars for "Cousin Phillis"; I didn't enjoy the other stories at all.
"Cousin Phillis" has a likeable young narrator, Paul, who introduces his boss to his cousin and her family. Phillis falls for his boss, who intends to ask her to marry him on his return from two years' employment in Canada. While there he marries some one else and Phillis contracts "brain fever" as a result. Despite the slim plot, the depiction of Phillis' father (a dissenting minister) and his "Job's comforter" fellow ministers is well done. Mr Holdsworth (he who goes to Canada) is also a sympathetic character and I hoped at one point that the story was going to be about whether Phillis and her parents (with their serious and earnest faith) would see him as an acceptable husband, but that was not explored. I suppose part of Gaskell's "point" is about the way Phillis' parents have brought her up to be completely clueless about romance/men/marriage, but it is a bit tragic the way Victorian heroines always have such severe health crises when thwarted in love, rather than reminding themselves that there are plenty more fish in the sea.
"The Manchester Marriage" (again a slim plot) concerns a woman whose husband is lost at sea, but then escapes captivity by "savages" years later and returns to find her (in all innocence) happily remarried. This set up a really interesting dilemma, but he goes off and kills himself without her being any the wiser and the whole thing was a complete anti-climax.
"Half a Life Time Ago" was a sad story about a woman who chooses to keep a promise to her dying mother to care for her handicapped brother and thus loses her fiancé (who turns out to be a drunk and prone to violence anyway). The ending stretches belief in coincidence too far, although I love the last sentence: "And so it fell out that the latter days of Susan Dixon's life were better than the former". (As an aside, although I am sure it is very historically accurate, it is jarring to find a heroine who has lost all her teeth!)
"My French Master" was about an emigre from Normandy who escapes to England and teaches French to support himself. He fails to regain his estate after the restoration of the monarchy, marries a servant and makes the best of life in England. However due to an extraordinarily coincidental series of marriages, his family estate is restored to his daughter and he dies back at his ancestral home.
"Morton Hall" was a series of linked superstitious stories which required copious explanatory notes to understand and was my least favourite. Here too, by marrying the current (usurper) owner of the estate, the ousted old family was restored to its former home. Not sure what the point of this one was.
"Lizzie Leigh" concerned a servant girl who had a baby out of wedlock and was thus shut out of decent society. Her mother goes in search of her a couple of years later and her sons allow her to roam Manchester every evening looking for Lizzie (which seemed unfeeling and odd of them to me). By a series of extraordinary coincidences, the baby turns out to be being fostered by the woman the elder son loves. In another extraordinary cluster of events, the child falls down the stairs and is killed just as Lizzie is leaving money at the door for it. Lizzie and her family are reunited, the elder son marries and it all ends happily (except for the dead baby). Lizzie, despite the emphasis on forgiveness, is nevertheless condemned by the narrator to endlessly pray for this forgiveness and live a life of service to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2023
Elizabeth Gaskell was neglected for many years, and is now held up as a female equivalent to Charles Dickens, but one whom feminists inevitably think is superior.
Never mind that the fact that Gaskell’s heroines typically flourish and prosper when they have a good husband or prospects of one, and languish and become ill when their hopes of a man are disappointed.
Let us also ignore the fact that Gaskell’s solutions to industrial problems in North and South show her to be just as ignorant of economic realities as Dickens, but with a naivety that the great writer lacks.
Gaskell is in awe of the great industrialist, who marries the heroine, beats his working class adversary in a strike, and only compromises to the tune of having a nice cup of tea with his defeated foe and offering him another job.
This ‘feminisation’ of industrial relations might appeal to some, but I think Dickens had the right idea in Hard Times when he has labourer Stephen Blackpool meet callous industrialist Josiah Bounderby, only to find that Bounderby has no understanding or interest in understanding Blackpool’s problems, and merely regards his most humble employee as a troublemaker.
Nowadays when we look at the most famous businessmen, many of whom also pretend to be self-made men, I’m struck by the fact that Bounderby seems less and less like a caricature, and more like an accurate portrayal of the morals and manners of such individuals.
Gaskell’s saving grace, we are told, is her subtlety. Subtlety certainly is a virtue, but not proof of superiority. Dickens is never subtle, but he is not dull. We remember his lively characters and exciting stories, and his political message carries through clearly. Gaskell is not exactly dull, but her prose is earnest and worthy.
In any case, as this selection of her short stories shows, Gaskell’s gift for melodrama and morbid sentimentality could at its worst be so egregious that I am sure that if Oscar Wilde had read the stories he might have revised his view of the end of The Old Curiosity Shop (“One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.”), and accepted that there are worse things out there.
This is especially true of the first story in this volume, an entirely risible tale called ‘Lizzie Leigh’. The story starts promisingly enough. Anne Leigh’s harsh husband has died, and she regrets standing up to him. Heaven forfend that women should assert themselves.
Mrs Leigh now wishes to find her disgraced daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie lost her place in Manchester as a result of a scandal, but was disowned by her father. Now he is dead, her mother is seeking her out. Meanwhile her son Will has met a nice woman, but fears getting too involved due to this scandal.
Matters resolved themselves with a level of coincidence that is every bit as improbable as a Dickens story. A rather unpleasant thing happens, which causes Gaskell to lapse into a dour religiosity, though some of us might wonder if such events really show God at his best. Then a reconciliation occurs where there might seem good reason for a deeper rift.
In some ways the story sets the tone for future tales here. There is a happy ending of sorts, but there is something rather down-in-the-mouth about it.
‘Morton Hall’ is a better story in that there is nothing silly about it. However it does lack any real focus, and feels like a series of unrelated sketches relating to the lives of a wealthy family. Still it has flashes of interest.
‘My French Master’ is also a series of vignettes in a way, but they seem more focused. The narrator remembers a French teacher who was also an aristocrat who lost his land during the French Revolution.
Gaskell is firmly on the side of the aristocracy, and the story’s most poignant moment comes when the master greets the restored Louis XVIII, only to find that the new king cannot recall who he is, and has no intention of restoring his lands, as they have been given to someone more favoured. Overall this is a touching story.
‘Half a Lifetime Ago’ sees another descent into dour mawkishness. Trusted with the care of her idiot brother by her dying mother, Susan Dixon finds she must balance her commitment to her brother with the demands of the man she wants to marry.
In the end she sacrifices her lover, and (being a Gaskell heroine) languishes and loses her health and bloom. Another improbable event and two deaths lead to another unlikely happy ending that seems more glum than uplifting.
‘The Manchester Marriage’ is a splendid story, but is not that far removed from Dickens. Alice Wilson has made a decent enough marriage to a sailor, though it lacks a little spark. One day he does not return from a voyage, and is presumed dead. As this is a work of fiction, and there is no dead body, we know where this is going.
A long time passes, and Alice marries Mr Openshaw. He is another one of those industrialists that Gaskell views with adoration, and proves to be a better husband. However when Alice’s first husband returns and speaks to her loyal maid, Alice, the happy home may prove to be under threat.
While the story has no special message or meaning, Gaskell tells it well. Indeed there is something curious about the underlying morality of the story since it sets up two virtuous people who have been living out of wedlock without realising it.
That brings us to the last story here, ‘Cousin Phillis’ almost the length of a short novel, and giving this selection its title. That is inevitable since it is the most substantial tale here in both length and substance.
The first thing to note here is that the narrator is a man. Earlier stories were either narrated by a woman or were told in third person, but focusing on a woman. However don’t be fooled. Gaskell’s focus is on Phillis. Her works therefore provide a welcome focus on women, often lacking in Victorian literature.
Paul Manning is a young man who has been given employment in the railway industry in an area close to some distant relations. Gaskell undermines Paul’s centrality to the tale by making him a clumsy and unattractive man who is the intellectual inferior to his relatives, among whom is Phillis. As a result no romance can develop between the two cousins, though perhaps Paul would like it. This is just as well, as the couple are incompatible.
A more obvious match would appear to be Paul’s employer, Holdsworth. Paul unwisely introduces Holdsworth to his relations, knowing that Holdsworth is more intellectually matched to them than he. Naturally a romance blossoms between Holdsworth and Phillis.
They seem like the perfect couple, but Gaskell offers some foreshadowing by hinting at a lightness in Holdsworth’s personality. When he is given the opportunity to work in Canada, he drops everything and leaves, offering a hint that he loves Phillis and will come back for.
Paul is once again unwise and informs Phillis of this. However Holdsworth soon finds someone else in Canada and marries her. Being a Gaskell heroine, Phillis immediately falls ill at the news. However Gaskell does end the story on a more encouraging note.
“Only for a short time, Paul”, Phillis says of her suffering, “Then – we will go back to the peace of the old days. I know we shall; I can, and I will.” If this was a story written by a man, then perhaps she would need to pine away and die, but instead Gaskell shows Phillis to be a strong woman who can rally round and recover.
Short stories are relatively rare among serious Victorian writers. They were looked down on as inferior, and not favoured by libraries, who could charge more for longer works. So we should be grateful for any briefer works that we can find by major writers.
The stories in this selection are variable in quality, but the best ones remind us that Gaskell was a serious writer. She was certainly no hack, and I am glad her works are now acquiring more respect, even if they do not quite merit the level of uncritical admiration offered in the Introduction to my copy of this book.
Never mind that the fact that Gaskell’s heroines typically flourish and prosper when they have a good husband or prospects of one, and languish and become ill when their hopes of a man are disappointed.
Let us also ignore the fact that Gaskell’s solutions to industrial problems in North and South show her to be just as ignorant of economic realities as Dickens, but with a naivety that the great writer lacks.
Gaskell is in awe of the great industrialist, who marries the heroine, beats his working class adversary in a strike, and only compromises to the tune of having a nice cup of tea with his defeated foe and offering him another job.
This ‘feminisation’ of industrial relations might appeal to some, but I think Dickens had the right idea in Hard Times when he has labourer Stephen Blackpool meet callous industrialist Josiah Bounderby, only to find that Bounderby has no understanding or interest in understanding Blackpool’s problems, and merely regards his most humble employee as a troublemaker.
Nowadays when we look at the most famous businessmen, many of whom also pretend to be self-made men, I’m struck by the fact that Bounderby seems less and less like a caricature, and more like an accurate portrayal of the morals and manners of such individuals.
Gaskell’s saving grace, we are told, is her subtlety. Subtlety certainly is a virtue, but not proof of superiority. Dickens is never subtle, but he is not dull. We remember his lively characters and exciting stories, and his political message carries through clearly. Gaskell is not exactly dull, but her prose is earnest and worthy.
In any case, as this selection of her short stories shows, Gaskell’s gift for melodrama and morbid sentimentality could at its worst be so egregious that I am sure that if Oscar Wilde had read the stories he might have revised his view of the end of The Old Curiosity Shop (“One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.”), and accepted that there are worse things out there.
This is especially true of the first story in this volume, an entirely risible tale called ‘Lizzie Leigh’. The story starts promisingly enough. Anne Leigh’s harsh husband has died, and she regrets standing up to him. Heaven forfend that women should assert themselves.
Mrs Leigh now wishes to find her disgraced daughter, Lizzie. Lizzie lost her place in Manchester as a result of a scandal, but was disowned by her father. Now he is dead, her mother is seeking her out. Meanwhile her son Will has met a nice woman, but fears getting too involved due to this scandal.
Matters resolved themselves with a level of coincidence that is every bit as improbable as a Dickens story. A rather unpleasant thing happens, which causes Gaskell to lapse into a dour religiosity, though some of us might wonder if such events really show God at his best. Then a reconciliation occurs where there might seem good reason for a deeper rift.
In some ways the story sets the tone for future tales here. There is a happy ending of sorts, but there is something rather down-in-the-mouth about it.
‘Morton Hall’ is a better story in that there is nothing silly about it. However it does lack any real focus, and feels like a series of unrelated sketches relating to the lives of a wealthy family. Still it has flashes of interest.
‘My French Master’ is also a series of vignettes in a way, but they seem more focused. The narrator remembers a French teacher who was also an aristocrat who lost his land during the French Revolution.
Gaskell is firmly on the side of the aristocracy, and the story’s most poignant moment comes when the master greets the restored Louis XVIII, only to find that the new king cannot recall who he is, and has no intention of restoring his lands, as they have been given to someone more favoured. Overall this is a touching story.
‘Half a Lifetime Ago’ sees another descent into dour mawkishness. Trusted with the care of her idiot brother by her dying mother, Susan Dixon finds she must balance her commitment to her brother with the demands of the man she wants to marry.
In the end she sacrifices her lover, and (being a Gaskell heroine) languishes and loses her health and bloom. Another improbable event and two deaths lead to another unlikely happy ending that seems more glum than uplifting.
‘The Manchester Marriage’ is a splendid story, but is not that far removed from Dickens. Alice Wilson has made a decent enough marriage to a sailor, though it lacks a little spark. One day he does not return from a voyage, and is presumed dead. As this is a work of fiction, and there is no dead body, we know where this is going.
A long time passes, and Alice marries Mr Openshaw. He is another one of those industrialists that Gaskell views with adoration, and proves to be a better husband. However when Alice’s first husband returns and speaks to her loyal maid, Alice, the happy home may prove to be under threat.
While the story has no special message or meaning, Gaskell tells it well. Indeed there is something curious about the underlying morality of the story since it sets up two virtuous people who have been living out of wedlock without realising it.
That brings us to the last story here, ‘Cousin Phillis’ almost the length of a short novel, and giving this selection its title. That is inevitable since it is the most substantial tale here in both length and substance.
The first thing to note here is that the narrator is a man. Earlier stories were either narrated by a woman or were told in third person, but focusing on a woman. However don’t be fooled. Gaskell’s focus is on Phillis. Her works therefore provide a welcome focus on women, often lacking in Victorian literature.
Paul Manning is a young man who has been given employment in the railway industry in an area close to some distant relations. Gaskell undermines Paul’s centrality to the tale by making him a clumsy and unattractive man who is the intellectual inferior to his relatives, among whom is Phillis. As a result no romance can develop between the two cousins, though perhaps Paul would like it. This is just as well, as the couple are incompatible.
A more obvious match would appear to be Paul’s employer, Holdsworth. Paul unwisely introduces Holdsworth to his relations, knowing that Holdsworth is more intellectually matched to them than he. Naturally a romance blossoms between Holdsworth and Phillis.
They seem like the perfect couple, but Gaskell offers some foreshadowing by hinting at a lightness in Holdsworth’s personality. When he is given the opportunity to work in Canada, he drops everything and leaves, offering a hint that he loves Phillis and will come back for.
Paul is once again unwise and informs Phillis of this. However Holdsworth soon finds someone else in Canada and marries her. Being a Gaskell heroine, Phillis immediately falls ill at the news. However Gaskell does end the story on a more encouraging note.
“Only for a short time, Paul”, Phillis says of her suffering, “Then – we will go back to the peace of the old days. I know we shall; I can, and I will.” If this was a story written by a man, then perhaps she would need to pine away and die, but instead Gaskell shows Phillis to be a strong woman who can rally round and recover.
Short stories are relatively rare among serious Victorian writers. They were looked down on as inferior, and not favoured by libraries, who could charge more for longer works. So we should be grateful for any briefer works that we can find by major writers.
The stories in this selection are variable in quality, but the best ones remind us that Gaskell was a serious writer. She was certainly no hack, and I am glad her works are now acquiring more respect, even if they do not quite merit the level of uncritical admiration offered in the Introduction to my copy of this book.
June 11, 2016
Amazon thought I would like this book, based on other books I have read. And it was correct. There are 6 short stories and each is a character study. What can someone do that is kind? How do real people learn to cope with disappointment or heartache or situations which will hurt those they love. The editor suggests reading them and then letting it sit before reading the next. Since I was traveling, this made a lot of sense. These are thoughts to be savored.
June 4, 2011
Elizabeth Gaskell constantly surprised me by her ability to draw me into stories that I had originally thought were going to be dull, dry material. Instead, she surprised me by her apt characterizations and depictions of life and interpersonal relationships that held me rapt until the story was done.
October 31, 2019
I have such a hard time rating short story collections. This one had a 5 star story, two 4 star stories, a 2 star story, and several 3 star stories. Overall, I loved Gaskell’s writing but missed having a full-length story to get to know the characters well.
October 25, 2024
Sometimes, the top reviews on Goodreads misinterpret the text so badly that it makes me want to tear my hair out. The overarching opinion seems to be that Gaskell's short stories are sentimental and overwrought, without acknowledging the delicacy of her plots and emotions (If Dickens wrote these, people would be hankering after them, waxing prosaic about the wonder of human sympathy. I mean, just look at Tiny Tim).
All the stories in the collection, and Gaskell's works in general, are concerned with the 'mingled yarn' of characters' lives and actions. But beyond that, her works deal with the temporal and spatial disorientation that emerges from a rapidly changing world as railways are laid down, postages are reduced, and aristocratic traditions give way to a capitalist economy. Nevertheless, Gaskell finds a story worth telling in these characters threatened on the margin of existence. Unlike Dickens, whose version of Victorian England might resemble Gaskell's only in that the basis of their creation finds inspiration in the same raw material of reality, Gaskell's character retains a depth and roundedness that is a far cry from Dickens's excessive multitude of characters that fall as flat as the illustration on the newspaper wrapper themselves. Thus, Susan Dixon can cradle the corpse of her former lover (whose intentions were not entirely honourable) after half a lifetime without the need for moral definition; or, Mr. Openshaw can pay respect to his wife's first husband, suddenly returning from years of detainment to find his wife in a new life. The ambiguity of love and friendship as well as the sense of affectionate kinship that can arise from those who are rivals in love, attests to Gaskell's faith in the magnanimity of human actions. In fact, Half a Life Time as a short story reminds me of the ending of Howards End, which I had mentioned in a previous review felt like a ex deus machina device to convey Forster's insistence on affection. Gaskell lacks the grand ideology of Forster, but what she lacks, she makes up in the sense of authenticity she brings to all her characters' motions and emotions. To me, this is her greatest achievement as a writer.
All the stories in the collection, and Gaskell's works in general, are concerned with the 'mingled yarn' of characters' lives and actions. But beyond that, her works deal with the temporal and spatial disorientation that emerges from a rapidly changing world as railways are laid down, postages are reduced, and aristocratic traditions give way to a capitalist economy. Nevertheless, Gaskell finds a story worth telling in these characters threatened on the margin of existence. Unlike Dickens, whose version of Victorian England might resemble Gaskell's only in that the basis of their creation finds inspiration in the same raw material of reality, Gaskell's character retains a depth and roundedness that is a far cry from Dickens's excessive multitude of characters that fall as flat as the illustration on the newspaper wrapper themselves. Thus, Susan Dixon can cradle the corpse of her former lover (whose intentions were not entirely honourable) after half a lifetime without the need for moral definition; or, Mr. Openshaw can pay respect to his wife's first husband, suddenly returning from years of detainment to find his wife in a new life. The ambiguity of love and friendship as well as the sense of affectionate kinship that can arise from those who are rivals in love, attests to Gaskell's faith in the magnanimity of human actions. In fact, Half a Life Time as a short story reminds me of the ending of Howards End, which I had mentioned in a previous review felt like a ex deus machina device to convey Forster's insistence on affection. Gaskell lacks the grand ideology of Forster, but what she lacks, she makes up in the sense of authenticity she brings to all her characters' motions and emotions. To me, this is her greatest achievement as a writer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2021
I am not as huge a fan of Elizabeth Gaskell's country life writing as her other work, and this collection of stories did not really interest me because of that. Often the stories were overly long and drawn-out, even for classics. They also often felt disjointed in parts, possibly because of the episodic structure. Ultimately, however, they were still Gaskell, and she is one of the best Victorian writers anyone could read. Her prose shines through in this like all of her other work, and if you like classics, then this will not let you down. Each story, in some ways, approaches the theme of rising and falling fortunes which I found interesting even if I did not think it was executed well. My favourite story was 'My French Master' because of its humour and reflection on the French Revolution. I would recommend 'Cousin Phillis and Other Stories' to any Gaskell fan or people who are into slower classics set in the English countryside.
February 18, 2021
I enjoyed Cousin Phillis quite a lot, but I'm not yet sure exactly why that was.
I found it a little dull and its abrupt ending left much to be desired. Topped off with its melodramatic and, at times, moody narrator, I'm quite surprised to have enjoyed this story at all.
That said, Gaskell painted a beautiful and vivid picture of country life in Victorian England which was a thoroughly pleasant reading experience in itself.
I found it a little dull and its abrupt ending left much to be desired. Topped off with its melodramatic and, at times, moody narrator, I'm quite surprised to have enjoyed this story at all.
That said, Gaskell painted a beautiful and vivid picture of country life in Victorian England which was a thoroughly pleasant reading experience in itself.
June 26, 2025
My collection of Gaskell's short stories is different than the one pictured, but mine is a very old vintage copy with Cousin Phillis and others (different stories) included. I really enjoyed My Lady Ludlow. If you've seen the Cranford miniseries, you'll recognize this as a source of additional material since the actual book Cranford is rather short (Mr. Harrison's Confessions was also used). Of course, the screenwriters took liberties and made many changes, but both are enjoyable.
October 10, 2021
Finished reading Elizabeth Gaskell's Cousin Phillis And Other Stories. An interesting collection: Victorian realism and intelligent observation, slightly undermined by an overdose of the morose, but enjoyable all the same. Tribulations makes us what we are and the meaning of history reverberates beyond the individual lifespan.
October 6, 2025
once actually reading Victorian authors, you quickly realize why all the comparisons we make today about the modern authors (on the account of them having "that" voice) is simply impossible.
their worldview was completely different. we may relate to it today, but that's as far as it gets.
it's beautiful and I want more🌿
their worldview was completely different. we may relate to it today, but that's as far as it gets.
it's beautiful and I want more🌿
March 11, 2017
We read a few of these stories in Victorian Short Fiction (Lizzie Leigh, Manchester Marriage, Cousin Phillis), and I loved each of them for different reasons. Gaskell has a unique perspective and a creative writing style that I thoroughly enjoyed.
June 21, 2025
Enjoy the author and writing however did not enjoy the stories. Every one of the stories seemed to be more depressing than the last. Thought I would at least finish it and finally read the last story cousin Phyllis however that story is longwinded and unfinished. Disappointed
Read
January 10, 2020+ in Greek
August 8, 2024
Although this story is very dated, it demonstrates that women really only had one choice in life, to get married and have children.
May 22, 2025
This was not the easiest read, due to its literary style. However, it's worth the original and touching stories that unfold.
February 3, 2016
I was given this book by my mother in law around a year ago and it's kind of sat on my shelf unloved since then, what a big mistake to leave it there!
My first experience with Gaskell was as Charlotte Bronte's friend who wrote some pretty mean stuff about Patrick Bronte after Charlotte's death, so the image was not a favourable one. But putting my Bronte beef aside Gaskell really is a wonderful writer. Looking at the titles you'd expect some wimpy, sappy English country tales and while one or two are like this there are also some spooky stories too. My edition contains:
Lizzie Leigh - the sad story of a young girl who finds herself pregnant and alone in the city. This story is on the sappy end but that doesn't stop it being thoroughly enjoyable too.
The Old Nurse's Story - a creepy ghost story about a young girl who haunts a mansion. Who doesn't love the sound of that? Brilliant story.
Half A Life-Time Ago - Okay, hands up time, I found this one boring and probably couldn't tell you about it even if I tried.
Lois the Witch - by far my favourite. Lois, orphaned, is sent to live with her sickly uncle in New England and her frankly horrid auntie and cousins make it a nightmare. This story is set in Salem at the time of the witch trials and shows how hysteria can grow from simple jealousy. A really good story and worth reading even if you don't read the rest.
The Crooked Branch - aka how not to parent. Two elderly parents are taken for everything they're worth by their ungrateful son. Not the best story if, like me, you're into the more gothic tales. But if you like pastoral fiction then this is for you.
Curious, If True - a man wanders in to a French ghost villa. Not bad, not my favourite.
Cousin Phillis - again, hands up here, I didn't like this one and didn't get very far in to it.
I think if I had purchesed this book myself I would have gone for Gaskell's collected ghost stories. But this edition offers an introduction to her various styles and skills as a writer. A good book for anyone interested in early Victorian fiction, the ghost story, the gothic or the pastoral.
My first experience with Gaskell was as Charlotte Bronte's friend who wrote some pretty mean stuff about Patrick Bronte after Charlotte's death, so the image was not a favourable one. But putting my Bronte beef aside Gaskell really is a wonderful writer. Looking at the titles you'd expect some wimpy, sappy English country tales and while one or two are like this there are also some spooky stories too. My edition contains:
Lizzie Leigh - the sad story of a young girl who finds herself pregnant and alone in the city. This story is on the sappy end but that doesn't stop it being thoroughly enjoyable too.
The Old Nurse's Story - a creepy ghost story about a young girl who haunts a mansion. Who doesn't love the sound of that? Brilliant story.
Half A Life-Time Ago - Okay, hands up time, I found this one boring and probably couldn't tell you about it even if I tried.
Lois the Witch - by far my favourite. Lois, orphaned, is sent to live with her sickly uncle in New England and her frankly horrid auntie and cousins make it a nightmare. This story is set in Salem at the time of the witch trials and shows how hysteria can grow from simple jealousy. A really good story and worth reading even if you don't read the rest.
The Crooked Branch - aka how not to parent. Two elderly parents are taken for everything they're worth by their ungrateful son. Not the best story if, like me, you're into the more gothic tales. But if you like pastoral fiction then this is for you.
Curious, If True - a man wanders in to a French ghost villa. Not bad, not my favourite.
Cousin Phillis - again, hands up here, I didn't like this one and didn't get very far in to it.
I think if I had purchesed this book myself I would have gone for Gaskell's collected ghost stories. But this edition offers an introduction to her various styles and skills as a writer. A good book for anyone interested in early Victorian fiction, the ghost story, the gothic or the pastoral.
August 1, 2025
Cousin Phillis is a page-turner romance and also a meditation on the forces shaping industrial development, social mobility and (proto-) feminism. It captures a mid-19th-c moment when certain types of technical cleverness became "marketable" rather than merely eccentric. Gaskell reminds me of Thomas Hardy, if Hardy snapped out of his clinical depression.
November 30, 2012
Very enjoyable for a 'realist' novel.
October 30, 2016
3.5 stars
February 3, 2017
2.5 An interesting but uneven collection.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews