Riassunto
Riassunto di Lady Ludlow
A chi è rivolto
For readers who enjoy quiet, character-led Victorian fiction, village life and gentle humour with a serious question underneath, and stories of class, education and conscience.
Che cos’è questo libro
My Lady Ludlow is a short novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in 1858 in Household Words, the weekly magazine edited by Charles Dickens. It is told by an older woman, Margaret Dawson, who looks back on the years of her girlhood. As a young girl she was sent to live at Hanbury Court, the country house of an old and proud widow, Lady Ludlow.
The book is about a world that is slipping away. Lady Ludlow holds to the old ways of rank, duty and obedience, and she is sure that teaching poor children to read will only make them restless and dangerous. Around her gather a new clergyman, a practical land agent, a sharp-tongued gentlewoman and a poacher's son. In this book you will meet a woman who is stubborn and kind in equal parts, and you will see how change reaches a village one small choice at a time. First, let us go to Hanbury Court with Margaret.
In questo riassunto
- 1A girl arrives at Hanbury CourtFree
- 2Lady Ludlow fears the spread of learning
- 3A new clergyman brings new ideas
- 4Village characters push against the old order
- 5Stories within the story deepen the picture
- 6What the book says about class and conscience
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A girl arrives at Hanbury Court
The story opens with the older Margaret Dawson recalling how she came to Hanbury Court as a young girl sent there by her family. She does not tell the tale as an expert. She tells it as someone who was watching, and who remembers how large and strange the house and its mistress seemed to her.
Hanbury Court is a great country house, and Lady Ludlow is its centre. She is a widow and an aristocrat of the old school. She speaks with calm authority, and she expects the village to look to her for guidance, work and protection. In return, she believes, she owes them care.
Margaret finds that the house has its own customs. Lady Ludlow takes in a small group of girls from families that have fallen on hard times. She sees to their manners and their upbringing, and she has firm views on what they should learn. Margaret becomes one of these girls and begins to see the household from within.
From the start the reader senses that Lady Ludlow is not a simple tyrant. She is gracious, generous in her way and deeply loyal to people she has known. Yet her loyalty is to a certain idea of society, and that idea will soon be tested. The quiet of Hanbury Court is not as safe as it looks.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Questions about Lady Ludlow
What is My Lady Ludlow about?
It tells of a young girl who comes to live with an old aristocrat in an English country house. The lady opposes teaching the poor to read, and a new clergyman and others challenge her view.
Who wrote My Lady Ludlow and when?
Elizabeth Gaskell wrote it, and it first appeared in 1858 in Household Words, the magazine edited by Charles Dickens. It was printed in parts before being gathered as a book.
Who is Lady Ludlow?
She is the widowed mistress of Hanbury Court, a proud and kind woman of the old school. She believes in rank and duty, and she fears that educating the poor will lead to unrest.
Is My Lady Ludlow hard to read?
Not very. The language is clear Victorian prose and the pace is gentle. Stories inside the story explain why Lady Ludlow thinks as she does.
Is My Lady Ludlow worth reading?
It is a good choice if you like Gaskell's Cranford or quiet novels of village life. It treats class, education and change with fairness and humour, and it stays short.