Page 55 - All About History - Issue 70-18

Sc

This original 1778 illustration from
the Old English Baron hints at the Elizabeth
tale’s murderous medieval goings-on

Gaskell (1810-1865)

Charlotte Brontë’s biographer dipped her
toes into Gothic literature

Elizabeth Gaskell delved into communication rather than drastic
all sorts of genres, from social change. But she understood
commentary to Gothic. She had well the two lives writer women
Gothic tales printed in Harper’s had to lead. Describing the
Magazine, with supernatural publication of Jane Eyre, she wrote,
devices offering a means of “Henceforward Charlotte Brontë’s
examining themes such as existence becomes divided into
power, weakness, oppression two parallel currents – her life as
and redemption. Gaskell’s devout
Currer Bell, the author; her life as
Clara Unitarian faith instilled in her the Charlotte Brontë, the woman. There
social values which lay deep in the
to
were separate duties belonging
Reeve pages of her books. Mary Barton: A each character – not opposing each
Story of Manchester Life (1848) was
other; not impossible, but difficult
acclaimed by Charles Kingsley in to be reconciled.”
(1729-1807) Fraser’s Magazine for explaining
Created the ‘literary to the middle classes Chartism,
“Do they want to know why poor
offspring’ of men, kind and sympathising as
Walpole’s Otranto women to each other, learn to hate

law and order, queen, lords and
Clara Reeve may not be as commons, country-party and corn
well known as her more law leagues, all alike – to hate the
famous contemporaries, rich in short? Then let them read
but she made an intriguing Mary Barton.”
contribution to Gothic fiction Gaskell was neither a radical
with The Old English Baron (1778), nor impassioned feminist; she
inspired by Horace Walpole’s The spoke of understanding and
Castle Of Otranto (often thought of
as the first Gothic novel). The book’s
preface describes it as “the literary “‘Such whispered tales,
offspring” of Otranto, likewise designed to
“unite the most attractive and interesting circumstances such old temptations
of the ancient romance and modern novel”. The model proved popular – and hauntings, and
an eighth edition materialised in 1807, and there were many additional devilish terrors’”
reprints throughout the century. Reeve grew up reading classical works Lois the Witch
on republicanism and when the French Revolution came, she welcomed
the development, and made a call for change, “The revolution in France
will be a standing lesson to princes and to people of all countries; it is a
warning to kings, how they oppress and impoverish their people; it warns
them to reform the errors and corruptions of their governments, and to
prevent the necessity of a revolution.” This text foresaw an important role
for women, invoking a theme of works including Mary Wollstonecraft’s
Vindication Of The Rights Of Woman. Although Reeve’s thinking here
was more conservative, encouraging discipline, order, and hierarchy as in
counter-revolutionary works by women.
“‘Though I have been dead
these fifteen years, I still

command here, and none can
enter these gates without
my permission.’” Gaskell died while writing her

The Old English Baron final novel Wives and Daughters

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