#victorianlit

[calvin-evans-littul-white-shorts]

Mr Rochester will tell you he knows a 'spot' in the south of France and then insinuate that you be his mistress because you found about 'a mere human-law' which dictates he already has a wife.

[beauty-and-the-bookish]

Hey hey book fam! 😘😘👋👋👋. . 🌙⭐I'm sorry I've been gone for Lord knows how long. Last week I dislocated my right shoulder so I haven't had use of my arm. And I had a whole final project due. Which went incredibly slow. ⭐🌙. . 🌔🌕But I'm feeling better, so I think I'll be back again for our regular programming. At least more than its been. 🌕🌔. . 🌙⭐This photo is of a new service called @prettiparcels that I wanted to try. I love the Victorian novel I've gotten. I've actually wanted this for a while. And I haven't ever had rose tea either. 😍😍⭐🌙. . #book #books #read #reader #reading #stories #classics #Victorian #victorianclassics #Victorianlit #evelina #bookish #instagram #bookworm #📚 #booknerd #bookporn #tea (at Export, Pennsylvania)

[the-journal-ish-blog]

Book Review: North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

When her father leaves the Church in a crisis of conscience, Margaret Hale is uprooted from her comfortable home in Hampshire to move with her family to the North of England. Initially repulsed by the ugliness of her new surroundings in the industrial town of Milton, Margaret becomes aware of the poverty and suffering of local mill workers and develops a passionate sense of social justice. This is intensified by her tempestuous relationship with the mill-owner and self-made man John Thornton, as their fierce opposition over his treatment of his employees masks a deeper attraction. In North and South Gaskell skillfully fused individual feeling with social concern, and in Margaret Hale created one of the most original heroines of Victorian literature.

North and South was assigned to me during my Romantic and Victorian Literature class at university. My classmates and I, who grew fairly close as English students can, adored this book above the others we read, especially the male protagonist and love interest Jonathan Thornton.

What I specifically liked, however, was that unlike many of the other novels we read in class, and so many of them romantic, North and South both made socially conscious commentary and came to a comparatively satisfying end. It was an end I could live with, that left me satisfied when I was finished with the novel rather than leaving me with a gaping hole in my chest and a lot of questions. The book rarely lulled, and kept me entertained throughout the course of my reading, which anyone who has read Victorian literature knows how rare that is in a thick Victorian novel.

If I was to find a flaw in North and South, it wouldn’t be in the writing style or character development, but in the creative choice of Gaskell in regards to Margaret's brother. We do not meet him again at the end of the novel, nor does Margaret. This, of course, has a role in the novel, but to be fair, it just bugs me. Prepare for a Frederick shaped hole in your heart at the end of the reading.

I would recommend this for those who love historical British literature, especially if you’re a Jane Austen fan. Anyone who loves a good 1800’s English romance with a side of sartorial wit and social commentary will appreciate Elizabeth Gaskell.

Elizabeth Gaskell lived from 1810 - 1865 and was the wife of a Unitarian minister. After the death of her only son, she wrote her first book, “Jane Barton” in 1848, which gained great immediate acclaim, and attention from Charles Dickens. Dickens would go on to influence and publish in his journals many of her later works. Gaskell was a close friend of Charlotte Bronte and was asked by Bronte’s father to write her biography after she died. (info from bbc.uk)

Review by the-journal-ish

[emmareadsforfun]

Re-reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë for class! I'm excited to read it again after reading Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. Also shoutout to @readwithmegan for tagging me in the Rapid Fire Book tag! Here we go: 1. ebook or physical? Both! I like audiobooks and I don't mind using my kindle but I also love being able to hold a book. 2. Paperback or hardcover? Depends on if I want a pretty book or a cheap book! 😂 3. Online or in-store book shopping? If I know what I'm getting I'll shop online but if I want to browse I go in-store. 4. Trilogies or series? Series! 5. Heroes or Villains? Villains 😈 6. Book everyone should read? Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card 7. Recommend an underrated book? The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë 8. Last book finished? King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard 9. Last book bought? Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi 10. Weirdest thing used as a bookmark? Shoelace 😂 11. Used books: yes or no? YES!! Especially used books for classes. 12. Top 3 genres? Fantasy, historical fiction, and classics! 13. Borrow or buy? BUY. 14. Characters or plot? CHARACTERS! 15. Long or short books? Depends on what I'm in the mood for. 16. Long or short chapters? Short chapters because I love instant gratification. 17. Name 3 books: Villette, ACOMAF, and Pride and Prejudice! 18. Books that made you laugh/cry? Everything Sarah J. Maas has ever written. 19. Our world or fictional one? FICTIONAL! Take me to Velaris immediately please. 20. Judge a book by its cover? ....yes.... .~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~*•*~. #janeeyre #charlottebronte #charlottebrontë #Brontë #brontësisters #books #classics #fiction #gothic #gothicliterature #victorianliterature #victorianlit #britishlit #britlit #hygge #cozy #aesthetic #bookish #bibliophile #booklover #bookaholic #bookblogger #blogger #bookstagram #booktag #rapidfirebooktag #emmareadsforfun (at Richmond, Virginia)

[litblrspo-blog]

Front and back cover of my study planner from PurpleTrail! The best way to stay organized and get those A’s is to keep yourself inspired by a super cute planner!

[omniscribe]

If I've learned anything from this grad class it's that I enjoy how little I'm able to predict what a character is going to do or what is going to happen. Not like that time one of my students gave a presentation about the Mortal Instruments books and I deduced the relationships of all of the characters with very little information and she was like "Uh yeah. Wow. Have you read these?" and I was like "Nope. Continue."

[omniscribe]

Victorian Novel Independent Study

Thanks everyone who voted on my Victorian Novel survey. I had to get back to my professor and these were my choices based on your votes and word count and my horrible ability to procrastinate (so Middlemarch was kind of out of the question at 316,000+ words):

* Emily Bronte - Wuthering Heights * Thomas Hardy - Jude the Obscure * Thomas Hardy - Tess of the D'Ubervilles * Charles Dickens - Great Expectations * Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre * George Eliot - The Mill on the Floss * William Thackeray - Vanity Fair

Again, thanks so much for your help!