Victorian Realism Revisited: Elizabeth Gaskell’s Subject in Ruth

Abstract

The article aims to provide a reading of Elizabeth Gaskell’s novel Ruth (1853) in the light of Victorian realism, more specifically on the characterization of the homonymous protagonist Ruth Hilton, a fallen woman who is given a chance of redemption. Moreover, considering the social stigma surrounding the myth of the fallen woman throughout the nineteenth century and its lack of protagonism in Victorian fiction, the article focuses on how Gaskell’s choices for Ruth influenced the reception of the novel. In the first part, a brief contextualization of the nineteenth-century literary scenario is carried out, followed by a discussion of what defines Victorian realism and how literary criticism was conducted during that period. In a second moment, the discussion turns to the novel by analyzing which specific narrative elements contributed to its general acceptance within the literary sphere. For that purpose, commentary on Ruth will eventually be brought over to illustrate how Gaskell managed to lessen criticism by giving her character an unexpected journey. For that matter, scholars Shirley Foster (2002) and Nina Auerbach (1980) provide useful information on the life and work of Elizabeth Gaskell.