Author. She was born in Chelsea, London, to Elizabeth Holland and William Stevenson, a Unitarian minister. Her mother died 13 months after giving birth, and she was sent to live in Cheshire with her mother's sister. From 1821 to 1826, she attended a school in Warwickshire where she received a good education in the classics and was an avid reader. In 1832, she married William Gaskell, a Unitarian minister. In 1836, she published a series of poems called "Sketches among the Poor." The following year, she published "Clopton Hall." However, her identity was concealed, and her works were published "By a Lady," which is similar to how Jane Austen published "Sense and Sensibility" (1811) and "Pride and Prejudice" (1813). In 1847, she published a collection of short stories, "Libbie Marsh's Three Eras," under the pen name Cotton Mather Mills. However, it was the publication of her first novel "Mary Barton" in 1848 that launched her literary career. Her first novel was widely praised by Thomas Carlyle and Maria Edgeworth, and within a short period of time, her true identity was revealed. From this point forward, she began writing as Mrs. Gaskell and became associated with many prominent writers of the time, including the Bronte sisters. From 1851 to 1853, she published "Cranford," an episodic novel exploring the idyllic countryside. From 1854 to 1855, she published one of her most famous novels, "North and South," which has been made into a movie several times. In 1857, she published "The Life of Charlotte Bronte" following the death of her beloved friend and writer Charlotte Bronte. Her biography of Charlotte Bronte has significantly contributed to her international fame since she was very close to Charlotte. From 1864 to 1865, she published her final novel, "Wives and Daughters." Unfortunately, she died before the novel was completed. The novel was completed a year after her death, in 1866, by journalist Frederick Greenwood. Throughout her lifetime, she was one of the most famous Victorian novelists, alongside Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, and George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Her novels are still widely read today and are part of the "Penguin Classics" collection.
She is buried at Brook Street Unitarian Chapel and has a memorial in the Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey.
Author. She was born in Chelsea, London, to Elizabeth Holland and William Stevenson, a Unitarian minister. Her mother died 13 months after giving birth, and she was sent to live in Cheshire with her mother's sister. From 1821 to 1826, she attended a school in Warwickshire where she received a good education in the classics and was an avid reader. In 1832, she married William Gaskell, a Unitarian minister. In 1836, she published a series of poems called "Sketches among the Poor." The following year, she published "Clopton Hall." However, her identity was concealed, and her works were published "By a Lady," which is similar to how Jane Austen published "Sense and Sensibility" (1811) and "Pride and Prejudice" (1813). In 1847, she published a collection of short stories, "Libbie Marsh's Three Eras," under the pen name Cotton Mather Mills. However, it was the publication of her first novel "Mary Barton" in 1848 that launched her literary career. Her first novel was widely praised by Thomas Carlyle and Maria Edgeworth, and within a short period of time, her true identity was revealed. From this point forward, she began writing as Mrs. Gaskell and became associated with many prominent writers of the time, including the Bronte sisters. From 1851 to 1853, she published "Cranford," an episodic novel exploring the idyllic countryside. From 1854 to 1855, she published one of her most famous novels, "North and South," which has been made into a movie several times. In 1857, she published "The Life of Charlotte Bronte" following the death of her beloved friend and writer Charlotte Bronte. Her biography of Charlotte Bronte has significantly contributed to her international fame since she was very close to Charlotte. From 1864 to 1865, she published her final novel, "Wives and Daughters." Unfortunately, she died before the novel was completed. The novel was completed a year after her death, in 1866, by journalist Frederick Greenwood. Throughout her lifetime, she was one of the most famous Victorian novelists, alongside Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackeray, and George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans). Her novels are still widely read today and are part of the "Penguin Classics" collection.
She is buried at Brook Street Unitarian Chapel and has a memorial in the Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey.
Bio by: S. M.
Advertisement
