A Study On The Spaces In North And South

As one of the prominent realistic writer in the course of the Victorian era,Elizabeth Gaskell(1810-1865)is extremely adept in uncovering characters’ realistic situation and all kinds of conflicts and contradictions of different classes under the background of the industry in British society in her works which are most on the basis of the Industrial Revolution.Gaskell totally creates six novels of full-length,which are comprised of Mary Barton(1848),Cranford(1853),Ruth(1853),Wives and Daughters(1865),and Sylvia’s Lovers(1863)as well as North and South(1854).As the representative of the industrial novels,her novel North and South,vividly represents scores of changes and issues brought about by the industrialization in the nineteenth century,which manifests the author’s insight toward social issues and her deep sympathy for the labor workers.This thesis adopts the spatial criticism to explore the social phenomenon in the novel.From the analysis of three aspects of geography,society,and psychology,distinct conflicts and confrontations in the novel will be analyzed to testify their enduring impacts on the construction of the protagonist.This paper consists of five parts.The first chapter is a brief introduction of Mrs.Gaskell,her literary career and studies of North and South at home and abroad as well as the development of the spatial criticism.The second,third and fourth chapters are the major body of this thesis,analyzing the situation of the characters in the spatial environment from geographical space,social space and psychological space.The second chapter describes the psychological performance and mental state of the characters in the two distinct geographical spaces,exploring the situation and ethical behaviors of the characters in the specific spatial environment.The third chapter reveals gender bondage and class oppression of the Victorian society by showing two different social phenomena and expresses the restraint of the traditional social space on the marginal groups.The fourth chapter,from the perspective of psychological space,reveals the construction of individual identity and collective identity through the extension of space.The fifth chapter is the conclusion,summarizing the functions of three spaces in shaping the character and its significance in the development of the plot.The exploration of spaces in North and South can not only provide readers with a new perspective to understand this novel,but also can dig out the connotation of history and politics behind the space.Moreover,it is conducive to further understanding the themes of Mrs.Gaskell’s novels.