"'To whom shall the outcast prostitute tell her tale?'" (Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Barton): Elizabeth Gaskell: Rewriting Fallenness

Three or four men have written to approve one or two at least high in literature--and two with testimony as valuable as fathers of families--grave thoughtful practical men. I think I have put the small edge of the wedge in, if only I have made people talk & [sic] discuss the subject a little mor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Women's studies 2021-10, Vol.50 (7), p.674-687
Main Author: Baker, Katie
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Discomfort
Fathers
Men
Praise
Pregnancy
Women
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:Three or four men have written to approve one or two at least high in literature--and two with testimony as valuable as fathers of families--grave thoughtful practical men. I think I have put the small edge of the wedge in, if only I have made people talk & [sic] discuss the subject a little more than they did. These words were written by Elizabeth Gaskell in response to Anna Jameson, who had written to the author in praise of her second novel Ruth. With its controversial subject matter depicting a young seamstress, seduced, made pregnant, and abandoned, the book's publication in 1853 had been met with less than favorable reviews. Through such characters as Esther, Ruth Hilton, and Lizzie Leigh, Gaskell demonstrated her discomfort regarding the unfair treatment of apparently "fallen women" and proved that she was determined to "put the small edge of the wedge in" in a bid to highlight what she felt about their increasingly desperate plight.
ISSN:0049-7878
1547-7045
DOI:10.1080/00497878.2021.1895161