An Introduction to Cranford

Mary Elizabeth Gaskell, 1851
(found here)

On December 13, 1851, Charles Dickens published in his periodical Household Words “Our Society at Cranford,” a short story by the already well-established Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. Mrs. Gaskell had published her popular novel Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life anonymously in 1848; with praise of Mary Barton, Dickens solicited Gaskell to contribute to Household Words, which would also house other popular Victorian authors such as Wilkie Collins and Adelaide Proctor (Reddy 159). Her serialized novel Lizzie Leigh: A Domestic Tale was the first piece published in the pilot edition of Household Words in 1850. Though Gaskell planned on “Our Society at Cranford” being a solitary short story, it ended up being the first installment of eight which Gaskell wrote and Dickens published sporadically between December 1851 and March 1853 (Carse 318). The publishing house Chapman and Hall released the collected installments as Cranford on June 18, 1853 (Recchio 63).
  
The unchanging town of Cranford is inhabited almost entirely by aging, single women. Mary Smith, the narrator from the industrial city of Drumble, visits the small town of Cranford quite often and, while away, keeps in contact with the aging spinsters living there. She recounts details of the day-to-day social conventions and events of this unique, hyper-early-Victorian town, which Natalie Meir compares to the domestic manuals so popular at that time (1). The differences between Cranford and Drumble emphasize the challenges faced by those living in the unchanging, ever more industrialized Victorian England. Although Cranford is far from perfect, Gaskell makes recommendations that could humanize the industrial society (for more information, click here).

Readers begin with an introduction to the unspoken social rules that govern the Cranford women, most important of which is their refusal to speak of anything regarding finances (see the passage and an explication here). The action of the first installment, “Our Society at Cranford,” revolves around a new family in town: the highly masculine and socially unaware Captain Brown as well as his daughters Jessie and Mary. Because many years have passed since a male human being has lived in the town, the introduction of Captain Brown upsets the social norm; he is invited to tea and other female socials because, although none of them would admit it, the ladies enjoy his company. Unfortunately a train on the newly-laid track in Cranford kills Captain Brown in his attempt to save a young child, and Mary Brown passes away from an ongoing sickness. Jessie is swept away by her beau, Major Campbell, and lives what Victorian society would call a normal or expected life. With Captain Brown's passing and Jessie's marriage, the town of Cranford is once again "normalized," though the Cranford normality differs greatly from the normality of actual Victorian society; the old women once again take control of the social rules. 

In the installments following, most of the action takes place around Miss Matty Jenkyns, Mary Smith’s closest acquaintance in Cranford, and her close-knit circle of female friends. Along with Mary Smith, the reader is brought into the group of widows and single spinsters to witness their habits, their obsessions, their fears, and their entertainment, all exaggerated to the point of hilarity. Through events such as the deaths of Captain Brown and Mr. Holbrook, a dear friend of Miss Matty’s; the appearance of Signor Brunoni, the fantastical and suspicious male magician; and the failure of the Town and County bank, which ruins Miss Matty, readers come to see the true characters of the charming and quirky ladies of Cranford.

Found in Recchio 115

Because of its consistent popularity, Cranford has been adapted for the stage and the screen, which Thomas Recchio details in his book Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford: A Publishing History. The most recent and popular adaptation is the 2007 BBC version, in which producers “splic[ed] other works from Gaskell’s oeuvre,” such as My Lady Ludlow, in order to create a more engaging plot (Louttit 44). Gaskell created a piece that has entertained readers and viewers for over one-hundred and sixty years and will continue to entertain for many years to come.