Reading course with Sherry Ashworth

This fifth workshop M arian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins will explore how Wilkie Collins surprises us with his sympathy for women, and here he creates two memorable heroines, one active and almost masculine, the other the sinned against and a victim. In this sensation novel, both heroines are sorely tested!   Wednesday 10 November 2027 7-9pm £14 per session  Online    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. The workshops run from 7pm to 9pm on selected Wednesday evenings and cost £14 per session. Numbers are limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute, and sessions are not recorded. Other workshops in this series....  13 January – Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 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 .

The fourth online workshop will explore Dorothea Brooke and Rosamond Vincy in Middlemarch by George Eliot. These two are possibly the most complex and fascinating heroines in the Victorian novel. Yet both make fatal mistakes in their choice of husband. One we tend to root for, but the other we despise. Should we?   Wednesday 8 September 2027 7-9pm £14 per session  Online    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. The workshops run from 7pm to 9pm on selected Wednesday evenings and cost £14 per session. Numbers are limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute, and sessions are not recorded. Other workshops in this series....  13 January – Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 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 10 November – Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 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 .

The third online workshop will explore  the Two Mrs Rochesters in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë . We don’t see a lot of the first Mrs Rochester and Jane only becomes the second Mrs Rochester at the very end of the novel. But the implied relationship between them is fundamentally what the novel is about. Come and find out why. Wednesday 12 May 2027 7-9pm £14 per session  Online    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. The workshops run from 7pm to 9pm on selected Wednesday evenings and cost £14 per session. Numbers are limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute, and sessions are not recorded. Other workshops in this series....  13 January – Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 10 March -  Molly and Cynthia in Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell 8 September – Dorothea Brooke and Rosamond Vincy in Middlemarch by George Eliot 10 November – Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 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 .

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? Wednesday 13 January 2027 7-9pm £14 per session  Online 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. 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 10 November – Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 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 .

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? Wednesday 10 March 2027 7-9pm £14 per session  Online    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. The workshops run from 7pm to 9pm on selected Wednesday evenings and cost £14 per session. Numbers are limited to ensure everyone has the opportunity to contribute, and sessions are not recorded. Other workshops in this series....  13 January – Elinor and Marianne in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 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 10 November – Marian Halcombe and Laura Fairlie in The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 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 .