These two diaries, by the nineteenth-century novelist Elizabeth Gaskell and her cousin Sophia Holland, provide us with uniquely personal and revealing accounts of Victorian womanhood and motherhood. This is the first critical edition of the Gaskell diary and the first ever publication of the Holland diary. The Gaskells were among the first generation of parents to experience the benefits and burdens of an abundance of child-care literature. Both Elizaeth and Sophia reveal themselves here as anxious to be seen as ...
Read More
These two diaries, by the nineteenth-century novelist Elizabeth Gaskell and her cousin Sophia Holland, provide us with uniquely personal and revealing accounts of Victorian womanhood and motherhood. This is the first critical edition of the Gaskell diary and the first ever publication of the Holland diary. The Gaskells were among the first generation of parents to experience the benefits and burdens of an abundance of child-care literature. Both Elizaeth and Sophia reveal themselves here as anxious to be seen as conscientious and well-informed mothers, but as confused as contemporary parents by the conflicting advice to be found within the pages of the so-called 'experts'. As a piece of social history, these diaries documen the challenges, dilemmas and rewards of Victorian parenthood. As a pieceof literature, there is no doubt that, in cultivating the powers of observation to be found in her diary, Elizabeth was laying the foundation for the wider social vision to be found in her novels. Both works have been carefully edited and annotated from their original manuscripts by J A V Chapple and are accompanied by an illuminating introduction by Anita Wilson.
Read Less
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has hardback covers. In good all round condition. Dust Jacket in good condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 450grams, ISBN: 9781853310706.
This slim volume offers an intriguing look into Victorian child-rearing and explores the social expectations and influences of the day. Two women - the novelist Elizabeth Gaskell and her sister-in-law Sally Holland - kept personal diaries in which they expressed their hopes and fears for their children, as well as their insecurities about motherhood in general. Their intimate observations highlight an otherwise hidden part of history, lending subtle shading to the broad canvas of Victorian life.
The diary extracts are disappointingly thin (not much survived, apparently) but the book is expertly annotated and edited, particularly by Anita Wilson, whose introductory notes are educational and illuminating.
As someone who's researching this era for a play I'm writing, I'm finding this book invaluable, filled with otherwise inaccessible insights into life for women in mid-Victorian times. Recommended.
