Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell

E.C. Gaskell (Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, 1810–1865) was a British novelist of the Victorian era. Born in Chelsea, London, she often published under her married surname, Gaskell. Her novels vividly portray life across the social classes of an industrial society. Her major works include Mary Barton, Cranford, North and South, and Wives and Daughters. The library holds 35 of her works, commonly categorized under foreign literature and inspirational growth. She was also the first biographer of Charlotte Brontë, author of The Life of Charlotte Brontë. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not expanded here; her significance lies chiefly in her observation of Victorian society and human nature.