XCLASSICS MARY BARTON EPUB EB

Elizabeth Gaskell

• Publisher: William Collins
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780007449910
• eBook ISBN: 9780007480548
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Classics
• Index: Literature

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'We're their slaves as long as we can work; we pile up their fortunes with the sweat of our brows, and yet we are to live as separate as if we were in two worlds…'

Set in the industrial unrest of 1840s Manchester, Mary Barton is a factory-worker's daughter living a working-class life in Victorian England. She soon attracts the attentions of the mill-owner's son, Harry Carson, and in the hope that marrying him will improve her prospects and help her to transcend class boundaries, she rejects her former lover Jem Wilson.

However, when Harry is shot the main suspect is Jem and Mary finds herself torn between the two men. At the same time, she discovers that her father, John Barton, who has been active in fighting for the rights of his fellow workers is implicated in the murder. Gaskell's exploration of the class division and the oppression of the working-class is demonstrated effectively through the character of Mary, highlighting how lack of communication and mistrust can arise through such vast differences in lifestyle and wealth.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• Preface
• Chapter 1: A Mysterious Disappearance
• Chapter 2: A Manchester Tea-Party
• Chapter 3: John Barton’s Great Trouble
• Chapter 4: Old Alice’s History
• Chapter 5: The Mill on Fire – Jem Wilson to the Rescue
• Chapter 6: Poverty and Death
• Chapter 7: Jem Wilson’s Repulse
• Chapter 8: Margaret’s Début as a Public Singer
• Chapter 9: Barton’s London Experiences
• Chapter 10: Return of the Prodigal
• Chapter 11: Mr Carson’s Intentions Revealed
• Chapter 12: Old Alice’s Bairn
• Chapter 13: A Traveller’s Tales
• Chapter 14: Jem’s Interview with Poor Esther
• Chapter 15: A Violent Meeting between the Rivals
• Chapter 16: Meeting Between Masters and Workmen
• Chapter 17: Barton’s Night Errand
• Chapter 18: Murder
• Chapter 19: Jem Wilson Arrested on Suspicion
• Chapter 20: Mary’s Dream – and the Awakening
• Chapter 21: Esther’s Motive in Seeking Mary
• Chapter 22: Mary’s Efforts to Prove an Alibi
• Chapter 23: The Sub-Pœna
• Chapter 24: With the Dying
• Chapter 25: Mrs Wilson’s Determination
• Chapter 26: The Journey to Liverpool
• Chapter 27: In the Liverpool Docks
• Chapter 28: ‘John Cropper’, Ahoy!
• Chapter 29: A True Bill against Jem
• Chapter 30: Job Legh’s Deception
• Chapter 31: How Mary Passed the Night
• Chapter 32: The Trial and Verdict – ‘Not Guilty!’
• Chapter 33: Requiescat in Pace
• Chapter 34: The Return Home
• Chapter 35: ‘Forgive us our Trespasses’
• Chapter 36: Jem’s Interview with Mr Duncombe
• Chapter 37: Details Connected with the Murder
• Chapter 38: Conclusion
• Classic Literature: Words and Phrases Adapted from the Collins English Dictionary
• About the Author
• History of Collins
• Copyright
• About the Publisher