Overview
The first workshop will explore Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility by Jane
Austen - two sisters, each very different but beset by the same financial
problems and deceitful men to boot! Which sister has your vote?
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....
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.
Wednesday 13
January 2027
7-9pm
£14 per session
Online
Numbers are limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute, and sessions are not recorded.
Other workshops in this series....
- 10 March – Molly and Cynthia in Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
- 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.
**Refer to your e-ticket for joining instructions and zoom links. Please check your spam/junk mail for ticket.**
If you have any questions about this event, please see
our Frequently
Asked Questions.