The second workshop will explore Molly and Cynthia in Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. Molly and Cynthia are polar opposites but brought together in the same, somewhat dysfunctional setting. Will one sacrifice herself for the other?

Literature lovers are invited to join Elizabeth Gaskell’s House in 2027 for a new series of online reading workshops exploring one of the most intriguing themes in nineteenth-century fiction: duality. Led by the ever-popular Dr Sherry Ashworth, Duality: Joint Heroines, the Pleasures and Problems will examine some of literature’s most memorable female pairings, from sisters and friends to rivals and doubles.

Taking place across five evenings in 2027, these interactive Zoom workshops offer readers the opportunity to delve deeper into classic novels in a welcoming and inclusive setting. Each session focuses on a single novel and explores how authors used paired heroines to illuminate questions of love, class, ambition, morality and identity.

Other workshops in this series.... 

• 12 May – The Two Mrs Rochester’s in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
• 8 September – Dorothea Brooke and Rosamond Vincy in Middlemarch by George Eliot

How does it work? Before the class, readers will be sent key extracts from the novel under discussion - reading the whole novel is desirable but not essential. After a brief introduction, we use breakout rooms so everyone can have their say. We come together at the end. Whether you are revisiting a favourite novel or encountering it for the first time, the sessions are designed for curious readers who enjoy thoughtful conversation and discovering fresh perspectives on classic texts.