Gaskell and the Law

This is the first ever study of law in the fiction of Elizabeth Gaskell.

Elizabeth Gaskell is best known today as a novelist of social realism. Until now, however, her use of law, which is crucial to her portrait of society, has never been systematically explored. This book shows that Gaskell's fiction is rich with insights into the law of her time, and that reading her work with a lawyer's eye deepens and enriches the reading experience.

The book explores Gaskell's work as a whole. It gives...