Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester Life

Mary Barton: A Tale of Manchester is the 1848 debut novel of Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell. It tells of the Victorian working class in Manchester, England, from 1839 to 1842, focusing on the story of the eponymous young female heroine. Through the experiences of two families—the Bartons and the Wilsons—it explores contemporary political and domestic issues during a time of increased industrialization and class tensions. As with much of Gaskell’s work, Mary Barton is narrated by a self-conscious authorial voice that may or may not be Gaskell’s own. Views on the nature and purpose of this voice differ, as Gaskell’s personal beliefs and later work are more radical than the opinions espoused by the narrator of Mary Barton. Much of the novel exposes the contrasts in life at the opposite ends of the economic spectrum, but Gaskell also highlights the characters’ universal human similarities as the novel concludes.

This study guide refers to the Project Gutenberg eBook edition of the text, revised 2013, available here.

Content Warning: This guide describes and discusses the source text’s treatment of child loss and domestic abuse.

Plot Summary

The story opens with a meeting of two working-class families—the Bartons and the Wilsons—just outside Manchester.