Mary Barton

This Norton Critical Edition of Gaskells first novel is based on the 1854 Fifth Edition, the last edition corrected by the author. Contexts includes letters related to Mary Bartons publication as well as Gaskells reaction to her harshest critics. Ten contemporary reviews reflect the dual nature of the novels critical reception: one group valuing its eye-opening moral energy and concern for the suffering of the working classes and the other group taking Gaskell to task for the deceptive implications of her perceived flawed reasoning. A section featuring fifteen illustrations from the novel offers readers the opportunity to explore narrative emphases. Criticism collects seventeen major interpretations of the novels central themes. Contributors include Kathleen Tillotson, Richard D. Altick, John Lucas, Catherine Gallagher, Hilary Schor, Deborah Epstein, Susan Zlotnick, Jonathan H. Grossman, and Liam Corley, among others. A Chronology of Gaskells life and work and a Selected Bibliography are also included.