Honoring the Woman as Writer: Elizabeth Gaskell’s Life of Charlotte Brontё

Abstract

Detailed analysis of Gaskell’s strategy in presenting the life of her friend and fellow author. Briefly discusses the contemporary reaction to Gaskell’s book. Demonstrates how Gaskell tries to conceal some details of Brontё’s personal life while still demonstrating her significance as a novelist. Concludes that Gaskell does as much to highlight the problems women novelists faced in the nineteenth century as she does to explain details of Brontё’s life.