Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë’s influence on Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South (An Analysis of North and South, Pride and Prejudice and Shirley)

Abstract

This thesis deals with the influence that Pride and Prejudice and Shirley had on North and South and the common traits the three novels share. North and South originally came out as a serialized publication between 1854 and 1855, and in the latter year it was published as a novel. The story is about Margaret Hale, a girl who is uprooted from her birthplace to live in the north of England, more precisely in Milton. Here she will have to face a series of events that will make her question her place in society, make her ponder upon the conditions of mill workers and ultimately make her develop into a mature woman. In the course of the pages, the author develops numerous themes, touching on relevant points in everyday life, but above all, she skilfully interweaves romantic and industrial elements successfully, giving the idea of how the public and private spheres are inextricably connected in her novel. This aspect becomes paramount when the influences of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley respectively are analysed. In fact, it is possible to find some similarities between the two novels mentioned and North and South. The elements of Romanticism clearly present in Austen have some echoes in Gaskell’s fiction, which she uses to her advantage. For instance, the heroines of the two novels, Margaret Hale and Elizabeth Bennet, have a few elements in common, not only in terms of physical resemblance but also in terms of character that distinguishes them from the other female characters in the respective stories. Furthermore, North and South is indebted to Pride and Prejudice as it parallels its courtship plot so much so that at times Gaskell’s dialogues mirror Austen’s. Thus, from the comparison of the two novels, it is possible to derive some elements that the two share and exploit for their own purposes. The industrial element, on the other hand, unites North and South and Charlotte Brontë’s Shirley. First of all, it is paramount to emphasise that there was a strong friendship that united the two authors, who often confronted and stimulated each other on literary issues too. In addition, as with Elizabeth Bennet, Margaret Hale also shares some aspects with the heroines of Brontë’s novel, Caroline Helstone and Shirley Keeldar, but especially with the one that gives the novel its name. In addition, the two riot scenes are presented in both novels with similar strategies, but feature two very different heroines. In fact, while Shirley (and Caroline) stay in the background, Margaret takes part in the action and is even injured as a consequence. Hence, comparing the two novels allows to consider the elements they share and to see how each author uses them in her own way, asserting the originality of the respective work.