Archives & Readers' Guides > Archives of Book Discussions
CRANFORD by Elizabeth Gaskell
BooksAdmin:
The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone.
We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome.
January Book Club Online
Cranford
by Elizabeth Gaskell
Published in 1853, Cranford is the story of a town that is
"in the possession of the Amazons."
Some delightful older women are battling to preserve the way of life and
the social structure in Cranford in the face of the "progress"
brought by the Industrial Revolution.
Join us we read this autobiographical novel and get to know
the ladies of Cranford.
Discussion Schedule
Based on the episodes as they were published in Household Words.
(Depending how comfortable we are with the rate of reading and discussion, we can be flexible with the dates.)
* January 2-11. Pre-discussion of the Victorian period, the author, and any questions you may have about the discussion process.
* January 11- 15 Episode 1 Our Society at Cranford - Chapters 1-2
* January 16-19 Episode 2 A Love Affair at Cranford - Chapters 3-4
* January 20-23 Episode 3 Memory at Cranford - Chapters 5-6
* January 24-27 Episode 4 Visiting at Cranford - Chapters 7-8
* January 28-31 Episode 5 The Great Cranford Panic - Chapters 9-11
* February 1-4 Episode 6 Stopped Payment at Cranford - Chapters 12-13
* February 5-9 Episode 7 Friends in Need at Cranford - Chapter 14
* February 10-13 Episode 8 A Happy Return to Cranford - Chapters 15-16
* February 14 Final Thoughts. Happy Valentines Day
Some Topics to Focus on As You Read
* The structure of society
* The place of women in society
* The narrator
* The men in Cranford
* Relationships among women
* Changes that come to Cranford and attitudes about those changes
Relevant Links
* Cranford Gutenberg online for free.
* Victorian Web This amazing link is for all things Victorian, begun in 1987 with new information added each year.
Discussion Leader: mkaren557
Mkaren557:
Welcome to the pre-discussion for the book Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. I will start out by telling you all that I love this book and I love the ladies of Cranford. During the pre-discussion please feel free to ask any questions about the Victorian Period, or about the author. How about we start by talking about any Victorian novels or poetry you have read? How did you feel about the book or the books that you read?
Let's try not to get into the discussion of Cranford until January 11. In the meantime, get your book, a cup of tea, and your favorite sweet treat and start reading. The reading assignments are based on the way the novel was first published in Dicken's magazine Household Words --- a couple of chapters at a time.
Frybabe:
Good morning!
I haven't started reading the book yet, but as a prelude, I did watch the first season of Masterpiece Theatre's Cranford.
Mkaren557:
Welcome to the book club, Frybabe! The Masterpiece Theater Cranford is so well done. I just read a criticism of the book in which the critic said that she saw it on PBS and then read the book. She loved each in its own way. One way to read this is section by section as we discuss it; then you will be a true Victorian reader.
PatH:
Frybabe, the Masterpiece Cranford is very good, but theydid shuffle and redeal the plot some.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
Go to full version