Classes

Elizabeth Gaskell lived during a period when the traditional social and political structure of English society was changing. Does Wives and Daughters challenge traditional ideas of social class? What do you think Gaskell believed about how society should be ordered?

I just want everyone to know that I am still reading the book. It has been so busy and I had such little sleep that I couldn't even read when I went to bed! So when I am finished I will post on this book! See you!
-Bookworm

That's cool. Take your time. That is the reason the forums stay up forever. This book club is supposed to be easy and fun- not one more stress to try to get a book done on time!
-Annegirl

That is a bit hard to answer. People in Hollingford were still, for the most part, very traditional in their ways, beliefs of how a girl should act, and taboos. Girls shouldn't meet a man in the woods or pass notes, etc. without a chaperone. Mrs. Gibson was really a traditionalist in what a girl could and couldn't do by what she thought the Cumnors would think. Squire Hamley thought his boys should marry in name and money...but later drastically changed his thinking when he found out how good Aimee' was and later when he found that Roger could not marry a better girl than Molly. Cynthia really didn't care about what was expected of her...she fell in love on a whim and attention and caring from any man because she was pretty and probably because of the neglect of love from her mother when she was growing up. Molly was very traditional but honorable and sweet ...and probably escaped the norms of those days by studying and wanting to learn which really wasn't thought as a smart thing for a girl to do.
-Bookworm

I kind of felt while reading it that Gaskell must have been very proper if that makes sense because of how good Molly is. I don't know if this is exactly true but my main characters have always been a reflection of things I like about myself or those around me and so I imagine that those were the kind of traits she admired and deemed proper.
-Annegirl

I think so, too. Now that you bring that up I think Gaskell saw traits around her that she used in her characters like Mrs. Gibson...traits that she didn't like...but in her favorite characters she put in the traits she admired and that she felt were a part of her life and beliefs.
-Bookworm