Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell Villette v Ruth online

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Book now

Online Events Season - Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell

26 June 2024

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Elizabeth Gaskell's House
Elizabeth Gaskell's House
Book now

Following on from May’s mini season of online events taking a look at the friendship between two giants of Victorian literature, Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell, Elizabeth Gaskell’s House in Manchester and the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth have teamed up with The Portico and Manchester Metropolitan University to present a fourth talk, Elizabeth Gaskell and Charlotte Brontë – Villette v Ruth.

We’ve already explored this famous literary friendship, which developed after the two remarkable literary women first met in the Lake District in 1850. Charlotte’s ground-breaking debut novel Jane Eyre had been an instant classic in 1847, with Shirley following in 1849, while Elizabeth’s astounding debut Mary Barton had been well received in 1848. Elizabeth Gaskell then wrote The Life of Charlotte Brontë, first published in 1857 – the first biography to be written both by and about a woman writer, it remains a classic of the genre.

In this talk, we’ll find out more about Charlotte Brontë’s 1853 novel Villette, her last to be published during her lifetime, and Elizabeth Gaskell’s work of the same year, the controversial Ruth, first published in three volumes. This special partnership event explores the historical reality behind these two iconic women writers and the sexual status of women in Victorian life.

Brontë’s semi-autobiographical book Villette tells the story of Lucy Snowe as she flees England for a Belgian boarding school. Her tale of heartache and adversity, passion and the pain of unrequited love, contrasts with that of Ruth, a novel about an unmarried mother, which shocked contemporary readers and exposed the hypocrisy of Victorian sexual double-standards. It has been recognised as the first novel to make a ‘fallen woman’ the heroine and caused huge controversy for its author.

This event will invite you to delve into the original novels through three talks and a Q&A session – the speakers are Andrew Stodolny, learning officer at the Brontë Parsonage Museum, Dr Emma Liggins, co-director of Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University and Dr Debbie Challis, creative producer at The Portico. There will also be the opportunity to see first editions of both Villette and Ruth live from The Portico Library.

For more fun from the Brontë Parsonage Museum, take a look at what writer-in-residence Ian Humphreys has lined up at Poetry at the Dusty Miller and more.

The event is being streamed online and you can book to watch live on the night or receive a link to the recording.

Accessibility

  • Captioned

Where to go near Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell Villette v Ruth online

Manchester
Food hall
Kargo MKT

Mighty food hall in Salford Quays, with around twenty street food vendors, serving a huge range of cuisines.

Asap Coffee Interior/ Counter
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
ASAP Coffee

If you’re looking for quality coffee and a decadent brunch in a setting that nails the Northern Quarter brief, you’d struggle to do better than ASAP Coffee.

Interior of George St Chapel
Manchester
Event venue
George Street Chapel

This beautifully restored former Independent Methodist Chapel in the heart of Oldham is as much a creative hub as a heritage landmark.

Chinatown
Restaurant
Pho Cue

Family-run Vietnamese restaurant in Chinatown. Prepare to queue for Pho Cue.

Come to Swithens Farm for a great family day out in Leeds. Our farm has plenty to offer whatever age you are!Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around. We now have a farm shop, café, playbarn and petting farm. When we first opened we only had the usual farm animals – cows, pigs, sheep, chickens and it was free entry. We now have llamas, alpacas, meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs, donkeys and a pony.On the working farm, we breed our own cows, pigs and sheep and we sell the meat through the farm shop and the café. If you buy a sausage sandwich from the café the sausage will be from the butcher who has made the sausage by hand using our own pork. We also produce our own free-range eggs.
Leeds
Swithens Farm

Swithens Farm is a working farm. For many years now Ian and his wife Angela have built a following that they welcome in all year around.

Peak District
Restaurant
The Chequers Inn

The Chequers Inn is a 16th century, family-run, traditional country inn with an impressive dining space. The Peak District at its best.

Testbed Main Space
Leeds
Event venue
TESTBED

TESTBED is a newly renovated 10,000 sq foot event venue in Leeds that offers endless possibilities for creating unique and inspiring experiences.

Manchester
Restaurant
Salt & Pepper

Chinese inspired British food in the centre of Manchester, backed up by plenty of well-deserved local hype.

Morning Glory - Coffee Cup
Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Morning Glory

Morning Glory positions itself as a grab-and-go spot, with just 12 seats inside serving coffee, bagels and sweet treats.

What's on: Literature

Deryn Rees-Jones. Credit Alison Dodd Photography
LiteratureLiverpool
Deryn Rees-Jones at Open Eye Gallery

For the seventh Matt Simpson Memorial Reading, hosted by Liverpool Poetry Space (LiPS), Deryn Rees-Jones will be reading from her new collection, Hôtel Amour.

Free entry

Culture Guides

A white mattress is burning in a black rocky landscape.
Exhibitions in the North

Galleries in the North are far from spooky this October - instead you'll find tactile sculptures, plant magic and curatorial experiments.

Hofesh Shechter - Theatre of Dreams at Lowry
Theatre in the North

Picks this month include bold visual art, wondrous opera and cinematic dance - plus a touch of ghostly storytelling for the Halloween season.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

It's busy month across the cinemas of the north as Halloween programming leads into two of the region's biggest film festivals.

Poet Helen Mort.
Literature Events in the North

One to add to your TBR pile, our latest round-up is a bumper edition and features some amazing events in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and beyond...

Music in the North

From New York’s experimental underground to the most exciting sounds coming from local scenes, we're lining up a noisy autumn of gigs.