Elizabeth Gaskell and the Art of the Short Story

This volume presents a collection of original and interconnected essays which aim to chart Elizabeth Gaskell's literary imgination by focusing on diverse aspects of her short stories. While offering fresh insights into Gaskell's shorter fiction it provides an introduction to the many issues that absorbed her literary attention. Most importantly, by considering the growing significance of some neglected aspects of her works and the cultural and ideological context in which she lived, the contributions collectively delineate Gaskell's artistic intentions, ethical sensibility and social committment in a rapidly changing world. In their overall critical design, the contributions intend to shed light on the complex web of dialogic discussions underlying her fiction, while at the same time revealing the extraordinary multifaceted inventiveness of one of the most important Victorian writers.