The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

This is the discussion for Disappearances being read as a companion to the July read of Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell.

READING SCHEDULE
July 1 through July 31.

AVAILABILITY
In the collection of The Grey Woman and other Tales on Project Gutenberg.

BACKGROUND
I found absolutely nothing regarding this short story. Not even a description of the story. If anyone has anything and would like to add it below, please feel free.

I just finished this story. It’s an odd one as It isn’t really plot driven so it doesn’t go anywhere. It was interesting that all the disappearances were men, and the strange feeling that the new police force would have figured all of them out.

I found this one odd as well. It appeared to me to be a group of stories that were only loosely related due to the various disappearances. I kind of assumed it would be disappearances in the same village/city. I'm not really sure what to make of this one.

⊱✿Gem✿⊰ wrote: "I found this one odd as well. It appeared to me to be a group of stories that were only loosely related due to the various disappearances. I kind of assumed it would be disappearances in the same v..."

I felt the same way

This seems to contain the potential plotlines for a handful of Gothic/mystery novels! I guess it's suggesting that the advent of formal police/detectives will largely do away with these unfinished disappearance stories - if only Gaskell could look forward to the vast market for crime novels which turn on these themes of vanished people, secret murders and switched identities.

I ask myself what the point of this story was, other than a list of disappearances.

I have a copy of Gothic Tales from the library and I hope the others are more interesting.

Rosemarie wrote: "I ask myself what the point of this story was, other than a list of disappearances."

Exactly, I thought it would be a mystery but it read more like a police blotter.

Was it even a story? I had the idea that Gaskell was something of an ethnographer, so maybe these are just accounts she's heard?

In that case, why is it the very first story in a book called Gothic Tales. It seems to be based on factual events, but why is it the first tale in the collection?

The next story in the book is called "The Old Nurse's Story",and it's a good one.