Where and under what circumstances does Ruth encounter Mr. What do we suspect from Jenny's cough? (tuberculosis) What is the effect on Ruth of the departure of her friend? (left without warning female figure) Is it important that she has no mother or older female relative? (these might have explained to her the dangers of receiving the attentions of someone of higher station)
What do we first learn of Ruth? What seem traits of her character? (gazes at night sky, loves nature and artistry in all their forms tends to have symbolic dreams) Does she manifest habits associated with female gentility? (often abstains from food, neat and modest) What is the importance of the opening scene and descriptions of the old building in which the sewing establishment is housed? Is there anything symbolic about the fact that the building’s old elegance has faded from disrepair? Who is the narrator, and under what circumstances does she intrude? What can we know about her? (cares about physical environment of area possesses local knowledge warns of danger) Do her judgments seem credible and fair-minded? (able to see motivations or context for even unpleasant actions) In what form was the novel published? Where are the volume divisions, and how does the plot emphasize each? (at end of volume one, Ruth has arrived at the Bensons', but her hair has been shorn by Sally) Are there contrasts between the portrayal of a working- class characters in these books?
Likewise North and South focuses on industrial unrest and includes a factory women character. Where does this work fit in the sequence of Elizabeth Gaskell’s narratives? Do you see resemblances between this novel and Mary Barton? (descriptions of life of seamstress and the privations of work and sleep emphasis on theme of forgiveness concern for fallen woman and upper class seducer or would-be seducer) Which book seems to offer more details on the working conditions for seamstresses? Is “Ruth” a good choice of name for Gaskell’s heroine? What biblical or etymological connotations does it carry? If you have read Michael Armstrong, what are some ways in which Ruth resembles or contrasts with Trollope’s narrative? (both present virtuous poor protagonists, and describe their backgrounds and parents)Īre some of the differences in the portrayal due to the fact that the protagonist of Ruth is female? Why do you think Trollope chose a ten year old boy and Gaskell a fifteen-year old female as a focus of interest?
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