The Three Witches of Milton

[This post contains affiliate links to books for purchase. If you purchase a book through these links, it gives me a small commission, which helps to cover the cost of maintaining this website.]

I’m happy to encourage the publication of North and South related novels, as I know there are fans of Gaskell’s story that are always eager for yet another dive into the world of Milton with John Thornton!

The latest story to become available to the public is by Caroline Malcolm-Boulton (otherwise known as The Scribbler CMB). I asked Caroline to share some of what to expect in her latest book, which was just released last week, so take a peek at this extremely unique story that combines Austen, Bronte, and Gaskell together.

Tell us about your book:

The Three Witches of Milton was actually inspired by one particular scene from the 2004 adaptation of North and South, and that was when John was reading his newspaper in his parlour, while his mother and sister began to criticise Margaret. For those who know the series, you’ll know how he can’t stand hearing her berated, so he quickly jumps to her defence. This scene formed an idea in my head, which turned into a short story, which then turned into a book.

The Three Witches of Milton, which derives its title from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, is a crossover of the world and words of Elizabeth Gaskell, Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontë. It is, I hope, a celebration of these three women and the concept of womanhood throughout time. To me, these three iconic authors wrote works that tried to make sense of the times they lived in and woven within their narratives, they were also writing a love letter to generations of women to come, reassuring them that being a woman at any time can be hard, but with a bravery that fosters an independent and self-appreciating spirit, women can prevail.

 Furthermore, to my mind, while the words of these writers will forever remain iconic and inspirational, through experimentation, I want to see whether removing them from their original context and resettling them into new scenes and dialogue can give them a reinvigorated, reincarnated impact on readers.

And lastly, this book stands as a testament to the power of sisterhood. Regrettably, our world often witnesses women compelled to undermine and impede one another, driven either by self-interest or by their insecurities. It is truly disheartening that such a culture persists, considering the myriad challenges inherent in being a woman without adding unnecessary burdens onto each other. Thus, this book serves as a tribute to the virtues of kindness, empathy, respect, and acceptance among women, fostering a sphere where we can collectively strive to realise our fullest potential and lead lives of happiness and health.

This story has been great fun to write, I have loved spending time with these characters, the good and the bad, and trying to understand their mindsets and motivations. The experience has also helped me feel closer to the three female writers whom I admire beyond words, and so, it is my pleasure to be able to say that I am dedicating 100% of the lifetime royalties of this book to Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, Jane Austen’s House, and the Brontë Parsonage.








From the book’s blurb:

John Thornton just wants to settle down by the fire after a long week at Marlborough Mills. However, when he enters his drawing room, the master is horrified to find that far from being alone, he is beset by the company of three guileful antagonists, each one intent on trapping him with their feminine charms, claiming this eligible bachelor for their husband. Forced to ward off ’s North & South’s Ann Latimer, Pride & Prejudice’s Caroline Bingley, and Jane Eyre’s Blanche Ingram, John must use his wit and wiles to evade the flirtatious enchantments of these three figurative witches of Milton. But just as he thinks he has eluded their womanly spells, they begin to sharpen their claws and vilify a certain young lady whom John cherishes in his faithful heart, and that, our literary hero, will not stand for.

Thanks to Caroline for telling us about her imaginative creation. And what a wonderful idea it is to donate all proceeds from the sale of her book to the author houses! I’m sure Elizabeth Gaskell’s House will appreciate the donations.

Second Chances: A North and South Story

(This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Your support helps to mitigate the cost of hosting this website. Thank you!)

I’m always happy to see new North and South stories published for the wider public to enjoy. Elizabeth Gaskell fan fiction has a long way to go to catch up to the Jane Austen fan fiction out there!

Second Chances: A North and South Story is a newly published book by Diana K. Cooper. I’ve asked Diana a few questions to introduce herself and her work.

When and how did you fall in love with North and South?

I originally read the book many years ago when I was at school and remember being captivated by it, although when I recently re-read it, I realised that I'd forgotten a lot of the detail from the original novel. I watched the 2004 mini-series and have re-watched it many times. In fact, it is a "go-to" for lazy days or when a little comfort is needed.

What inspired you to write your story?

I have always wanted to write a novel. It was the last remaining item on my bucket list (though granted it wasn't long). I've also read a lot of romances over the years, though I do like to read crime novels too. Believe it or not, I hadn't heard of fan fiction until just over a year ago. I had a few months off work due to surgery, and I stumbled upon fan fiction when browsing Twitter, which led me to Tumblr, which then led me to Archive of Our Own. I started reading Tolkien fan fiction and thought to myself, "I wonder if there is anything here on North and South?" and I fell spectacularly down the North and South fan fiction hole. I also read several published fan fictions on Amazon. I decided that having a go at short story writing might be a good place to start to get some experience, so I responded to a couple of writing events and got absolutely hooked.

Tell us about your story and what you hope readers will get from it.

My story is an adaptation, not a continuation, of the book. It starts after the riot, the doomed attempted proposal and Mrs Hale's death. It is January 1855 and John is in love with Margaret. A tragic event enables him to help her and allows Margaret the opportunity to see him differently, and for them to develop a mutual bond. I'm afraid I have made Henry Lennox to be quite evil, poor thing, but it was great fun making him so dastardly. From the cover, you will see that a dog features in my book. I chose the Border Collie breed as I thought it most resembled John Thornton – dressed in black and white, industrious and clever.

There are several "second chances" in my book. Obviously, that is primarily for John and Margaret, but it is also relevant for several other characters in the book, both old and new.

To make someone feel something from words you have written is quite wonderful, so I hope I can stir some emotions and that readers will finish the book and think it was a satisfying story. There is a lot of sweetness in there, and a little humour, as well as some sadness for John and Margaret to navigate through. But ... spoiler alert ... I only deal in happy endings.

Is this your first published work? Have you written other stories? Where can we find them?

Author Diana K. Cooper

It is! I only started writing last January, so I don't have a massive catalogue of other stories, but I do have thirteen "works" on Archive of Our Own . My name on there is dianakc (clearly, I lack any imagination when it comes to handles). I also post the same stories on Tumblr, where I have the same name. I've started posting a little on Instagram too, and you can find me there as d.k.cooper.

What are the positive aspects you have experienced in the realm of fan fiction, individually and globally?

Without a doubt, it is the warm and friendly North and South fan fiction community. I decided to join the Mill at Milton after receiving some lovely comments on my short stories from the Millers. This has introduced me to people from across the world who I now consider to be friends. They have been incredibly supportive and enthusiastic about my book. A friend from the Mill also helped massively with the editing process on Second Chances, though I did rope in my mum and son to help too! I have also met two of the Millers in person, and we have visited Elizabeth Gaskell House and Helmshore Mill together.

Will you be publishing more North and South stories?

I will definitely post more stories on Archive of Our Own. I am currently working on a longish story that I hope to start sharing in the spring. I do have a couple of ideas that might make a book, but I've not decided yet if I would publish again. At the moment I feel content with Second Chances – but perhaps that might change. However, in the future, I'd quite like to be involved in a published short story collaboration.


I hope you enjoyed this brief interview, and I hope you’ll support authors in the North and South community by purchasing their stories.

Thank you for stopping by at More Than Thornton. Happy reading!









































When did Thornton begin to think of marrying Margaret?

When did John Thornton begin to think of marrying Margaret Hale? The short answer is … we’ll never know. I doubt if even Thornton could pin a moment to the nascent thought.

But — and this is the fascinating part — we do know that the idea of marrying her was kicking around in his mind for quite a while before he blurted out his love for her in that ill-fated attempt to claim her as his own the morning after the riot.

And how do we know this? Because there are clues throughout the book which I’ll share with you.

But first, let’s recognize that courtship and proposing marriage were an entirely different ball game in the Victorian Era. It was entirely feasible that you could marry someone you’d only socialized with a handful of times. Courtship had one ultimate purpose: marriage. A man’s interest in courting a woman would indicate an interest in marrying her.

Now, we know from Gaskell’s story that Thornton is gobsmacked by Margaret at their very first meeting. He is instantly attracted to her. At the very least, he’s very intrigued by this woman. He has an interest in her. And he has never been interested in any woman before. Something about Margaret makes all his bells and whistles go off!

This first meeting with Margaret takes place in November, and Margaret and Thornton don’t interact with each other again until “early spring” when he comes to take tea with the Hales.

It’s his mother that openly hints at the idea of marriage between Margaret and Thornton.

“Take care you don’t get caught by a penniless girl, John.”

“I am not easily caught, mother, as I think you know. But I must not have Miss Hale spoken of in that way, which, you know, is offensive to me. I never was aware of any young lady trying to catch me yet, nor do I believe that any one has ever given themselves that useless trouble.”

Mrs. Thornton re-asserts a warning that southern girls may be looking for a rich husband, and he basically confesses that his only interaction with Margaret gave him the impression she would not be interested in him as a husband.

“Mother” (with a short scornful laugh), “you will make me confess. The only time I saw Miss Hale, she treated me with a haughty civility which had a strong flavor of contempt. She held herself aloof from me as if she had been a queen, and I her humble, unwashed vassal…”

Thornton is a man of reason and logic. He perceives that Margaret wouldn’t be interested in him as a husband, so it would be illogical of him to consider the possibility. Right? But since when do the longings of the heart obey the rules of logic?

Before he steps into the Hales’ house for tea we have to wonder: has he been thinking about her at all during those winter months?

I believe he has, for he’s scarcely stepped into the Hales’ drawing-room before he’s attributing the comfortable beauty of the room with Margaret’s nature! He’s only known her for half an hour and he believes he knows how a home with Margaret in it would look and feel.

Mr. Thornton likes what he sees. (all images are from the BBC’s North and South.)

And then comes the famous tea-cup scene where Thornton is fascinated with watching Margaret pouring tea. There is definitely a sexual attraction to her. Right about now he’s probably thinking he wouldn’t mind being “caught” by this southern girl!

With his mother’s warning about marriage echoing in his mind, and his senses enveloped and entranced by the warmth and beauty of Margaret and her cozy home, is it possible that the idea of having her for a wife wouldn’t cross his mind?

But any budding images of Margaret as a possible mate are fairly dashed by Margaret’s argumentative attitude in their conversations about the South and the moral obligations of masters to the workers. He feels her scornful disapproval of his kind.

And the next time Thornton has a discussion with the Hales at their home (his third interaction with Margaret), he doesn’t fare much better in gaining any sense of approval from Margaret. This time, Gaskell shows that he is desperately trying to get her to understand him:

“I know we differ in our religious opinions; but don’t you give me credit for having some, though not the same as yours?”

He was speaking in a subdued voice, as if to her alone. She did not wish to be so exclusively addressed.

[and later…]

“I shall only be too glad to explain to you all that may seem anomalous or mysterious to a stranger…”

Mr. Thornton paused awhile before he spoke…he was vexed at the state of feeling between himself and her.

You can feel his frustration here in this second argumentative discussion between them. If he had hoped to move himself up a level in her estimation, he was sorely disappointed. His attempts to develop this relationship in a positive direction are thwarted by Margaret’s moral reprisals of his business positions.

It’s during this second round of arguing that we catch a glimpse of how much he is interested in securing her attention for himself. Thornton’s jealousy flares up at the mere mention of another man’s name in relation to Margaret:

Who is Captain Lennox? asked Mr. Thornton of himself, with a strange kind of displeasure, that prevented him for the moment from replying to her!

Since Margaret shows no reciprocal sign of interest in him, Thornton is forced to smolder -- forced to keep his attraction to Margaret under wraps.

Ah, but a few months later Thornton lets slip a huge hint to his mother. When talk of who is coming to the dinner party leads Fanny and his mother to speak of Margaret in less than approving tones, John cuts into the conversation.

“Mother,” said he, stopping, and bravely speaking out the truth, “I wish you would like Miss Hale.”

“Why?” asked she, startled by his earnest, yet tender manner. “You’re never thinking of marrying her? - a girl without a penny.”

“She would never have me,” said he, with a short laugh.

“I wish you would like Miss Hale” sounds very much like a subdued confession as to where his affections lay! Notice that he didn’t deny thinking of marrying Margaret. His reply is only that she wouldn’t have him!

Mrs. Thornton gets negative points for her treatment of this soft confession. What a terrible comeback she gives her son! And she even grinds on about how Margaret thinks too highly of herself to have him.

Although Thornton is doubtless hurt by his mother’s caustic, careless replies, he shrugs off the conversation with this remark:

“Well, as I’m just as much convinced of the truth of what you have been saying as you can be; and as I have no thought or expectation of ever asking her to be my wife, you’ll believe me for the future that I’m quite disinterested in speaking about her.”

Again, saying that he doesn’t expect to ever ask her to be his wife doesn’t mean he hasn’t considered the consequences of doing just that. He has, and that is what he is admitting. His logical sense knows Margaret wouldn’t accept him. So he believes he can brush off the attraction to her at this point:

“I’m not a lad, to be cowed by a proud look from a woman, or care for her misunderstanding me and my position. I can laugh at it!”

But he’s not laughing when his passion for Margaret is roused into a furor by the events of the riot. After he declares his love for her and she fiercely rejects him, he’s sent into a spiral of misery.

It’s during his dazed and anguished walk in the countryside after his rejection that we see clearly that he did indeed carry a desire to marry Margaret for quite some time. And he’s kicking himself for letting his emotions overtake reason:

He went into the fields, walking briskly, because the sharp motion relieved his mind. He could remember all about it now; the pitiful figure he must have cut; the absurd way in which he had gone and done the very thing he had so often agreed with himself in thinking would be the most foolish thing in the world; and had met with exactly the consequences which, in these wise moods, he had always foretold were certain to follow…”

And there you have it. It’s possible the idea of having Margaret as his wife was planted in his mind the night he had tea at the Hales, but he kept the growing desire safely locked up in his heart, because he knew that she wouldn’t accept him.

Safely locked up, that is, until she threw her arms around him at the riot and he carried her lifeless body up the stairs of his home. Then all his logic couldn’t hold him back from trying his luck.

Although his attempt to win her hand that day was a disaster, maybe—just maybe—his impassioned declarations of love planted the idea of marrying him in Margaret!



Thanks for reading! Need a good book for Christmas travels or holiday relaxing? Check out the seasonal books written by fans of North and South HERE.

(This post may contain affiliate links. Making qualifying purchases from the links provided allows this website to earn a small commission. Your support of this blog in purchasing from these links helps cover the cost of maintaining this site. Thank you!)

,

A new North and South Christmas story

,

(This website posts affiliate links. I make a small commission on qualifying purchases when you click the links on this site. Your purchases through these links help support independent authors and keep this website running. Thank you!)

I’m always excited to see more North and South stories published. So I’m happy to interview author Claudia Lomond, whose Christmas story was just released for sale this week!

When and how did you fall in love with North and South?

I first watched the mini series when I was about 15 and developed a bit of a crush on Richard Armitage (along with millions of others!). I’d watch it whenever I saw it repeated on TV, but one day in early 2019 I got a huge urge to watch it and then…here we are! I immediately started to write my first North and South fanfiction “A Life Together” and set to work reading all the brilliant stories by other authors.


Were you a writer before this? How long have you been writing fan fiction? And where can we find your other North and South stories?

I have been writing fanfiction since I was 14. As a child I was diagnosed with severe ME/chronic fatigue syndrome and as a result was off school and pretty much bed bound for three years and with lasting disabilities for the rest of my life. During my time in bed I would use my limited energy to write stories about the things I watched and read. I have consistently been publishing fanfiction since then (way back in 2005) in a variety of different fandoms (and thankfully under several usernames because I never want to look at my old stories again). Some of my main fandoms have been Phantom of the Opera, Doctor Who, Labyrinth and (of course) North and South.

You can find my completed and in progress work on fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own and Wattpad under the username darkpartofmydestiny. I write a variety of genres but I think I am known within the N&S fanfiction community for my slightly saucier stories, so do check the rating before you read!

I have also written several articles that have been published in online magazines. I love writing and am passionate about helping others find their voice.

Is this your first time publishing your writing?

Claudia Lomond

It is my first time publishing fiction. I am very excited!

What made you decide to publish?

I’ve been a keen reader of variations and continuations for various fandoms online, as well as romance novels published via Amazon and Kindle Unlimited and have really wanted to branch out into commercial publication for a while.

One of my closest friends, Lizzie, also known as Elizabeth Hades on fanfiction sites, has been encouraging me to commercially publish for several years and her belief in me has really made me able to take this step. The Christmas Foundling was previously available on fanfiction websites, and I decided that this short and sweet Christmas story was the perfect place to start my self-publishing journey.

I am also moving to another country early next year and I really want to build a career that I can take from place to place with me!

Can you tell us a little about your story? What do you hope readers will get from reading it?

The Christmas Foundling is set on Margaret and John’s first Christmas as a married couple. On their way back from a midnight church service, they discover a baby abandoned by the mill gates with only a note addressed to “Miss Margaret” to tell them anything about the mother’s identity. Margaret deals with her conflicted emotions of wanting to care for the baby and a desperate search for the child’s mother.

I hope that readers will come away with a feeling of warmth and the spirit of the season. The story for me is a tale of charity but also of Margaret’s own journey - she sees the child without judgement or pity, and encourages others to do the same. She acts with love, even if others around her do not understand.

Have you found your John Thornton?

I have! I got married on 4th November this year so I am very newlywed! He is incredibly supportive of my writing and supports all of my slightly chaotic schemes. I do sometimes feel like the Margaret to his John - he works very hard and I have to prise him away from his desk late at night!

What an exciting time for Claudia! She’s barely home from her honeymoon and now she’s publishing her first fiction novel! I hope you’ll join me in wishing her well on her new adventures in marriage and in publishing.


If you want to collect a few more Yuletide stories, check out More Than Thornton’s Christmas page with book selections here.









 

Humor in North and South

Known mostly for its serious setting, conflicts, and a slew of character deaths, North and South isn’t heralded for its humor. But there are moments of humor that lighten all that seriousness.

It’s safe to say that Fanny Thornton takes first prize as comic relief in the film adaptation. Mr. Bell and Nicholas Higgins would be the runners up with their teasing remarks and sly smiles.

It’s not hard to find the moments of levity in the film version, but is there any humor in Gaskell’s book? Let’s take a look at a few instances of humor you might have missed or forgotten about in the original text.

Gaskell loves to make subtle (or not so subtle!) jabs at how silly we can be in our stubborn pride, arrogance, and self-justification. We’re often ignorant of own close-minded perspectives and one-sided emotional reactions. Gaskell very often points out the ludicrous self-absorption and self-coddling of the class of women who have no financial worries.

Here’s John Thornton making a jab at his sister. Her reply is so very…Fanny!

“Well! here is Fanny, then, who is seldom without an ailment. She will be able to suggest something, perhaps—won’t you, Fan?”

“I have not always an ailment,” said Fanny, pettishly; “and I am not going with mamma. I have a headache today, and I shan’t go out.”

And here is Edith, revealing to the reader how wrapped up she is in her own little world, unaware of the tremendous emotional and spiritual mind shift going on in her cousin:

Henry: The sea has done Miss Hale an immense deal of good, I should fancy….She looks ten years younger than she did in Harley Street.”

“That’s the bonnet I got her!” Edith said triumphantly. “I knew it would suit her the moment I saw it.”

Mr. Bell makes witty remarks throughout the book. He seems to operate on humor and sarcasm wherever he goes. I like this instance where Mr. Bell’s scathing sarcasm throws Henry’s arrogance back into his face:

Henry: …the truth is, these country clergymen live such isolated lives—isolated, I mean from all intercourse with men of equal cultivation with themselves, by whose minds they might regulate their own, and discover when they were going too fast or too slow—that they are very apt to disturb themselves with imaginary doubts as to the articles of faith, and throw up certain opportunities of doing good for very uncertain fancies of their own.”

“I differ from you. I do not think they are very apt to do as my poor friend Hale did.” Mr. Bell was inwardly chafing.

“Perhaps I used too general an expression in saying “very apt.” But certainly, their lives are such as very often to produce either inordinate self-sufficiency, or a morbid state of conscience,” replied Mr. Lennox with perfect coolness.

“You don’t meet with any self-sufficiency among the lawyers, for instance?” asked Mr. Bell. “And seldom, I imagine, any cases of morbid conscience?”

Touché, Mr. Bell! What a pompous ass Henry is in assuming he knows the mindset of all country vicars!

Of course, it’s easy to poke fun at people who are overly serious. Although in the film adaptation, Hannah Thornton has a few humorous exchanges with her son, I don’t find Mrs. Thornton to be lighthearted in the novel. She takes herself so very seriously! On my most recent reading of the book, I had to laugh out loud at a comment Mrs. Thornton made that I swear I had overlooked before.

When Fanny and her mother make their social call to Mrs. Hale and Margaret, Mrs. Thornton defends her Milton pride. In the book, Mrs. Thornton hints that Margaret should get to know her new town:

Do you know anything of Milton, Miss Hale? Have you seen any of our factories? Our magnificent warehouses?

Magnificent warehouses?! Ha ha ha! I’m sure that’s the first stop on the great Milton tour that new visitors take! I can understand that seeing the factories may be fascinating and pivotal in understanding the mill town. But I’m not sure gazing upon the gigantic warehouses sounds like an exciting venture. Only Mrs. T would think of bragging about those! For North and South fans, I think “Have you seen our magnificent warehouses?” rivals the “boiled potatoes” line from Pride and Prejudice (2005 movie)!

Mrs. T is so serious, she doesn’t realize how close-minded she’s become. I found the following exchange between Margaret and her future mother-in-law to be a hoot!

“But, surely, if the mind is too long directed to one object only, it will get stiff and rigid, and unable to take in many interests,” said Margaret.

“I do not quite understand what you mean by a minds getting stiff and rigid….”

Now, I don’t know if Gaskell meant it to be funny, but I find myself smiling with great amusement at the stabs of jealousy that knock John sideways for a few moments during conversations:

Who is Captain Lennox? asked Mr. Thornton of himself, with a strange kind of displeasure, that prevented him for the moment from replying to her!

________________________________________________

Henry (talking to Thornton): …she is much stronger. Last autumn she was fatigued with a walk of a couple of miles. On Friday evening we walked up to Hampstead and back.

John (internally): “We!” Who? They two alone?

And last but not least, let’s not forget the playful banter between John and Margaret on the very last page. As soon as it’s understood that their love is mutual, John teases her, calling her “Vanity” and making her “pay” for the pressed flowers from Helstone! Then after some snogging, they tease each other about how their relatives will accept their announcement. It’s adorable. Who would have imagined such a serious book to end with a few lines of humor?

So what are your favorite comic moments in North and South? Are there any lines from the book that make you smile or laugh out loud?

What Margaret Hale wears matters

The clothes women wear conform to the style, decorum, and cultural approval of the day. It was only a half century ago when women in Western cultures were freed from the stricture of always wearing skirts and dresses. Throughout the 1970s it became more and more acceptable for women to wear ….pants (gasp!).

Previous ages were far more strict as to what the appropriate mode of dress of women was. We are all aware that in the Victorian Era, both men and women wore what would be considered unreasonable layers of restrictive clothing today.

There were always choices, however, for those who had the means to purchase new clothing. And since Margaret Hale was a girl of the Victorian Era, she couldn’t overthrow the rules of dress alone even if she had wanted to. But she could, and did, choose to wear clothing that reflected her values.

Apparel becomes a focus in the very first chapter of Elizabeth Gaskell’s North and South, where Margaret models Edith’s luxurious Indian shawls for Aunt Shaw’s friends. Right away, we discover that although Margaret enjoys and appreciates the beauty of these expensive shawls, she has no particular desire to possess them. She doesn’t feel a need to wear or have impressive, fancy clothes.

She is, in fact, exhausted by all the running around required to coordinate the perfect wedding for her cousin Edith, which undoubtedly included much shopping for an extravagant trousseau. Margaret, by contrast, describes her wish for a simple wedding with very little fuss. Margaret doesn’t see the need for spending time and effort over appearances. She hones in on the essentials of life - the meaning behind events. Margaret doesn’t dream of putting on a show for others at her wedding.

Thornton fell for her in this get-up?

Margaret Hale is very comfortable and confident in her own individuality. She doesn’t feel the need to imitate anyone or to draw attention to herself. She prefers to dress in pleasant clothing without much ornamentation. She’s a no-nonsense, down-to-earth country girl at heart.

Thornton notices her style at the outset when he sees her for the very first time in the hotel sitting room. It’s her dignity and commanding presence that strikes him, and part of this is conveyed in what she wears. She’s not dolled up in frilly ruffles and ostentatious patterns or plumes. She’s dressed simply and carries herself with a natural, self-confident pride. It’s this strength of character – not needing to dress in flamboyant style to feel important – that attracts Thornton. 

...a young lady came forward with frank dignity, — a young lady of a different type to most of those he was in the habit of seeing. Her dress was very plain: a close straw bonnet of the best material and shape, trimmed with white ribbon; a dark silk gown, without any trimming or flounce…

According to the original novel, when Thornton comes to tea at the Hales it is only the second time he’s ever seen Margaret. While he’s checking out the comfortable details of the Hales’ home, he is definitely taking a careful look at Margaret:

She stood by the tea table in a light-colored muslin gown, which had a good deal of pink about it. She looked as if she was not attending to the conversation, but solely busy with the tea-cups, among which her round ivory hands moved with pretty, noiseless daintiness.

Margaret appears to him as the very image of feminine grace here. Her blouse in this scene is very light and delicate. She is a woman, and naturally expresses the soft, tender caring for others that is characteristic of the feminine nature. She can be both strong and confident and gentle and caring. The soft look of feminine clothes also suits her.

This balance between masculine and feminine characteristics in Margaret is fascinating to Thornton. He sees both sides of her character, her practical strong side and her more tender, sweet side.

Did you know that Thornton is noticing Margaret’s every outfit? He is.

Gaskell lets us know that Thornton is noticing Margaret’s wardrobe along with everything else about her! It’s really quite endearing that he remembers every visual image of her.

After she cruelly rejects him, he wanders the country dazed with the pain of her refusal, thinking about her:

He only caught glimpses of her.; he did not understand her. He saw her in every dress, in every mood, and did not know which became her the best. Even this morning, how magnificent she had looked, — her eyes flashing out upon him at the idea that, because she had shared his danger yesterday, she had cared for him the least!

Now, what about Margaret’s drop-dead dinner party outfit? Was it too feminine? Was it too revealing? Did wearing it degrade her — or empower her?

Clearly, this elegantly coifed and presented Margaret is a far cry from the everyday Margaret Hale who wears dull brown and traipses around Milton with a nondescript frisbee hat instead of a dainty bonnet. (See an earlier blog post about bonnets in North and South)

This is not a practical dress in the least. It’s an evening dress appropriate for formal social gatherings in that era. But note how Margaret’s dress compares with Fanny’s. Margaret’s gown has no fringes, flounces, lace, or contrasting colors. Her gown is a simple solid color with a tasteful embellishment of ruffled fabric for the sleeves and neckline.

Margaret’s dress conforms to the dress code appropriate of her day, yet she chooses a more subtle style. Here’s a great drawing of the evening gowns of the 1850s, the decade North and South was published.

Remember now, Margaret didn’t even really want to go to the dinner party. She went because her mother wanted her to go. And Margaret let her mother decide what dress she would wear. She herself was not concerned about impressing anyone. Her thoughts were far more consumed with the suffering of the strikers, the Boucher family and Bessy Higgins.

What had possessed the world (her world) to fidget so about her dress, she could not understnand…

Despite Margaret’s rather nonchalant attention to her attire for the Thornton dinner party, she looked fabulous! Her dress showed off her ample figure, as it was supposed to. And her natural dignity and grace made her stand out from the crowd. She was a commanding presence in very feminine attire. According to the book, at least two dinner party attendees asked about “that fine distinguished-looking girl.” She caused quite a stir!

And did John Thornton notice?

Did he ever!

He was struck anew with her great beauty. He had never seen her in such dress before; and yet now it appeared as if such elegance of attire was so befitting her noble figure and lofty serenity of countenance, that she ought to go always thus apparelled.

I summed up Thornton’s strong attraction to Margaret’s kind of beauty fairly well in a previous post:

The beauty he sees in her is tied to the qualities she exudes: self-possessed dignity, serene freedom, natural grace, gentle frankness, unshrinking self-confidence and strength. He seems to discern the essence of Margaret Hale in one short occasion. She's a rather amazing blend of both masculine and feminine natures. And Thornton is drawn to her expression of these qualities, so many of which he himself possesses and venerates.

Margaret Hale wears her clothes well, they represent her practical, sensible side and the tender caring nature at her core.

She would definitely have loved to see the introduction of trousers for women in the coming century!

Higgins' wife and Hannah's husband: the missing spouses of North and South

I realized recently that I’ve never given much thought to Higgins’ past life with his wife. Were they a reasonably happy family? There’s no indication that they weren’t. And yet, Nicholas Higgins never speaks about his wife. Is it too painful to mention? Does he keep his emotions private, not wanting pity?

It’s only through Bessy’s words that we learn anything at all about her mother.

to Margaret:

I think I was well when mother died, but I have never been rightly strong sin’ somewhere about that time. I began to work in a carding-room soon after, and the fluff got into my lungs. and poisoned me.

….Mary’s schooling were to be kept up, mother said, and father he were always liking to buy books, and go to lectures o’ one kind or another — all which took money, so I just worked on….

and to Nicholas:

O, father, what have ye gained by striking? Think of the first strike when mother died—how we all had to clem [starve]….

There is, of course, a practical reason that Gaskell made Higgins is a widower. She needed Bessy to be motherless so that Margaret would become an important mothering presence in their house. Bessy wouldn’t have been as hungry for attention from Margaret if she’d had a caring mother at home.

The fact that Nicholas Higgins is a widower also makes his decision to adopt Boucher’s children that much more heroic. He takes on the responsibility of raising a handful of young children without a wife to help him. That’s an impressive moral commitment!

The absence of a wife and mother in the family also changes the depth of the relationship between Bessy and Nicholas. We see that without a wife to turn to, Nicholas has grown very close to his oldest daughter, Bessy. A strong bond between father and daughter has developed since the death of his wife.

Of course, the most significant missing spouse in North and South is Hannah’s husband, George Thornton. The entire development of John Thornton’s character—the trajectory of his life—hinges upon his father’s suicide and the ensuing long struggle to rise from the debt and social censure George Thornton left his young family. Without his father’s death, it’s not likely John would have risen to the role of cotton mill master.

The determination to maintain their honor and integrity by paying back the debt while living in the shadow of society’s abandonment, drew mother and son together in a powerful bond of trust and reliance. The relationship that forms with his strong-minded mother in the wake of his father’s death remains the pillar of John Thornton’s life until he falls for Margaret Hale.

Although his absent role in the novel is vital, we know precious little about Hannah’s husband. She never speaks about him, except to tell Aunt Shaw that her husband is dead.

John speaks of his father only once, in telling his early history to the Hales at tea. Mr. Hale fills in the more sordid details of the senior Mr. Thornton’s death to his family—details which he obtained from Mr. Bell, an outside source.

Although George Thornton left his young family to suffer the consequences of his great mistake, neither Hannah nor John ever speak ill of him. Hannah continues to wear mourning black all her life, indicating that she still loves her husband.

There is one other instance in which it may be assumed that John is speaking of his father. On the dreadful night that John realizes that he cannot afford to continue running his factory, he tells his mother of the dire financial situation he is in and speculation offer that was presented to him:

“... how do you stand? Shall you—will it be a failure?” her steady voice trembling in an unwonted manner.

“Not a failure. I must give up business, but I pay all men. I might redeem myself - I am sorely tempted…”

“How? Oh, John! keep up your name—try all risks for that. How redeem it?”

“By a speculation offered to me, full of risk; but, if successful, placing high above the water-mark, so that no one need ever know the strait I am in. Still if it fails…”

“And if it fails,” said she, advancing, and laying her hand on his arm, her eyes full of eager light. She held her breath to hear the end of his speech.”

“Honest men are ruined by a rogue,” said he gloomily.

“Honest men are ruined by a rogue” he says. Is John referring to his father? Was George Thornton deceived into investing in some risky venture? It’s very likely that John and his mother believe that their father was preyed upon by unscrupulous men. This conviction allows them to continue to honor the memory of their father/husband with a degree of respect instead of resentment.

The history of his father’s tragic experience with financial speculations creates John’s strict moral stance about investing. He refuses to put himself in any danger of disaster like his father fell into. His father’s tragic death has impacted his life in almost every way.

Gaskell uses single parent situations in her other novels as well, and it so happens that it’s the development of the father-daughter relationship that she uses most. In Wives and Daughters there’s a precious relationship between Molly Gibson and her widowed father. The fact that Molly is missing a mother is integral to the unfolding plot. A father-daughter relationship is also vital to Gaskell’s very first novel, Mary Barton, in which Mary Barton tries to help her widowed father.

The loss of a spouse or parent was fairly common in Gaskell’s time. Through her stories we can see how these absences change the patterns and courses of life for those who continue on.

Note to readers: I’ve had some trouble with my subscription list and have lost many addresses. If you would like to continue to receive blog post notices (about once a month) from this site, please subscribe again. Sorry for the hassle of re-subscribing. I appreciate all who follow this blog!

(This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, we earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Your support allows us to host this website. Thank you!)

A North and South Christmas Story

(This post contains affiliate links. Purchases made from these links help fund the blog.)

More Than Thornton is pleased to announce a new North and South novella by Caroline Malcolm-Boulton.

The Woollen Olive Branch is a festive retelling of Elizabeth Gaskell's beloved classic novel, North and South.

As the winter nights draw in, Margaret Hale feels increasingly overwhelmed by her feelings for John Thornton, the man whom she refused, and in turn, he longs to tell her that he still loves her faithfully, in spite of their past misunderstandings.

Having not seen each other for several weeks following first the incident at Outwood, and then his jealous condemnation of her character, the hero and heroine of the story miss one another sorely, both praying for an olive branch to offer the other in friendship at Christmastime.

Here’s an excerpt from The Woollen Olive Branch: A North and South Retelling

by Caroline Malcolm-Boulton (The Scribbler CMB)

“John turned it over in his hands to inspect it more closely. It was perfect in its imperfection. It was lengthy and thick, but not extravagant in either way, and the yarn was robust yet delicate, promising to wrap his neck in woollen warmth. There were tiny holes here and there marked by frogging, nothing really, but it was charming to think, rendering it seamless to his eye, because it told him that Margaret, despite her flawlessness, could make mistakes. The thought that she had made this with evident care caused his heart to gallop in his chest, and while his former self would have doubted that true forethought had been knitted into its folds, loop by loop, there was a demonstration of dedication to every purl. But there was one detail which interested him the most.”

UK Amazon link

Interview with the author

If you’ve attended some of the North and South talks given by Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, you may already recognize the author, Caroline Malcolm-Boulton! Caroline presented a few of the talks, including the one about John Thornton as a gentleman.

I’m pleased to welcome Caroline to my blog. I’ve asked her to talk about how she fell in love with North and South and to give us her thoughts about writing fan fiction.

Falling in love with Gaskell’s story

I first came across North and South at age eleven when the 2004 BBC series aired. Growing up in a family that had always cherished the classics, we were excited every time a new adaptation came to our screens, so it was a real treat to sit down and watch it together. Even so, I’m sorry to say, that like most people, we’d never heard of North and South before, given that Elizabeth Gaskell did not, and still does not, get the recognition she deserves. Still, while her lack of applause and appreciation is inequitable, it did have a silver lining, which was that we were able to watch it without knowing what was to come.

And well, it goes without saying that I fell in love immediately.  

I was captivated by the storyline, the drama, the costumes – all of it! It was also really fun to see so much of Edinburgh, a city I live close to and know very well indeed. And being only eleven, I was really too young to be influenced by the Richard Armitage affect, so I could just enjoy the story for what it was: an inspiring and timeless tale of love and the struggle for equality in all areas of life.

One of my fondest memories is watching the station scene for the first time. Up until then, we had this tiny box-like television, but we then got a new one that had high definition sound and picture, and the first thing we watched was the last episode of North and South. It was winter, so it was dark, and I vividly recall sitting in awe as the final scene played out, the beauty of all the creative elements coming together perfectly.

Over the next seventeen years, my fascination with North and South grew. I read and watched it frequently, I studied it at university, and I was involved in a touring stage adaptation of it in 2015, helping to write the script and also being privileged to play Fanny Thornton. Now, on the brink of my thirties, I work as a freelance Arts and Film/Television journalist, and am delighted to say that I’ve dedicated much of my time to exploring the life and legacy of Gaskell.

Writing Fan Fiction

Then, in 2020, I discovered fan fiction. I’d heard of fanfic before, but to be honest, I didn’t really understand it, and I thought it was a bit weird. However, when Covid-19 hit, everything in Britain was closed, apart from supermarkets and pharmacies, meaning that many items, such as books, weren’t easy to get your hands on. This posed a problem, because I’d read all the books in my small flat, and I didn’t have an e-Book, but one of my friends worked for the postal service, and she was feeling overburdened by the immense increase to her workload with everyone buying things online. Therefore, I felt it wouldn’t be right to sympathise with her and then go off and order something myself, so I didn’t know what to do.

It was then, for reasons that I will never know, that I thought about trying fan fiction. I intentionally chose to start with North and South, partly because it’s one of my favourite books, but also because I instinctively knew that other fandoms, such as Jane Austen, would maybe be a bit too busy and overwhelming for a newbie.

It proved to be one of the best decisions of my life.

I quickly became aware of the diversity out there in terms of styles, takes on characters and themes, and even quality of writing. Some stories were exceptional, doing Gaskell justice, and some were not to my taste at all. It’s incredible to see the infinite number of options there are for retellings and continuations, and each writer clearly has a very personal relationship with North and South. But then I realised something. If these people had the right to write their respective interpretations of my favourite book, then why couldn’t I?

So I did.

And here I am, two years later, with over half a million words and 33 stories so far.

It’s been an incredible journey, one which I hope is far from over, and I’ve learnt a lot about myself, grown as a writer and reader, and met some wonderful fellow fans along the way. It’s also prompted me to encourage others to write, because I strongly feel that writing has numerous benefits in terms of a person’s cognitive and creative welfare, and I’ve been proud as punch to see so many friends take up the pen. Fan fiction is a unique genre, and I appreciate if people feel unsure about it, but I’d highly recommend they give it a go. I always say that reading a new book, an original book, is like going on an adventure, we don’t know where it’s going to take us. But reading fan fiction is like coming home to something familiar and safe, to people and places that we hold dear in our hearts, and there are no two characters whom I hold more dear than John and Margaret.

More Than Thornton is excited to see one more story added to the collection of North and South books for our shelves (or Kindle)! And because Caroline is such a prolific writer, I know there will be more stories coming in the future. Fan fiction readers, stay tuned!



The healing effect of nature in 'North and South'

Turning to nature in times of great turmoil or sorrow can be therapeutic. The beauty, stillness, and majestic vastness of nature can calm our thoughts and give us a more expansive perspective.

Reading North and South again, I was struck by how often Margaret turned to nature for solace and strength. This is especially true at the close of the story, when she is far from Milton and evaluating how to go forward with her life.

We know from the very beginning of the book that Margaret has a strong connection with nature. Her eagerness to go home to Helstone every summer has a good deal to do with the freedom she feels there to roam the countryside and take in its beauty every day.

Margaret used to tramp along by her father’s side … revelling in the sunshine and the herbs and flowers it called forth.

[Margaret] was so happy out of doors, at her father’s side, that she almost danced…

(Chapter 2)

Once in Milton, it’s more difficult for Margaret to escape to a place of beauty, but she does seek nature by taking walks to the fields around the town. She is coming back from one of these walks when she meets Bessy Higgins. Impulsively, she shares the beauty with Bessy, by giving the sickly girl the wildflowers she had picked.

Unfortunately for Margaret, the chance to get away to nature is almost non-existent during the long months of her mother’s sickness and her father’s subsequent grief.

Gaskell tells us, however, that after being chastised by Mrs. Thornton for her impropriety, Margaret takes a brisk walk to the country to try to avoid reflecting too deeply on her distraught feelings.

It’s not until Margaret moves away from Milton—not until her parents have both died—that she has time to really think about all that has happened to her and how she feels.

After an emotional day visiting Helstone again, Margaret confesses to Mr. Bell her lie and what Mr. Thornton must think of her. Although she asks Mr. Bell to explain her circumstances to Mr. Thornton someday, she still believes that she has lost Thornton’s love forever.

That night she feels her loneliness deeply:

…she sate long hours by the open window, gazing out on the purple dome above, where the stars arose, and twinkled and disappeared behind the great umbrageous trees….A sense of change, of individual nothingness, of perplexity and disappointment, over-powered Margaret.

“…I am so tired—so tired of being whirled on through all these phases of my life, in which nothing abides by me, no creature, no place…”

(Chapter 46)

Photo by Tyler Domingue

She looks to the heavens again after Mr. Bell dies:

…when night came—solemn night, and all the house was quiet, Margaret still sate watching the beauty of a London sky…the faint pink reflection of earthly lights on the soft clouds that float tranquilly into the white moonlight, out of the warm gloom which lies motionless around the horizon….On such night as this she remembered promising to herself to live as brave and noble a life as any heroine she ever read or heard of in a romance….straight alone where she stood, in the presence of God, she prayed that she might have strength to speak and act the truth for evermore.

(Chapter 48)

And finally, in the most poignant and enduring episode of relying on nature to nourish her, Margaret spends several days on the beach, just thinking…thinking, as she stares out to sea:

She used to sit long hours upon the beach, gazing intently on the waves as they chafed with perpetual motion against the pebbly shore, —or she looked out upon the more distant heave, and sparkle against the sky, and heard, without being conscious of hearing, the eternal psalm, which went on continually. She was soothed without knowing how or why.

..all this time for thought enabled Margaret to put events in their right places, as to origin and significance, both as regarded her past life and her future. Those hours by the sea were not lost, as any one might have seen who had had the perception to read, or the care to understand, the look that Margaret’s face was gradually acquiring.

…she had learnt, in those solemn hours of thought, that she herself must one day answer for her own life, and what she had done with it….

(Chapter 49)

During this sacred time of considering the endless power and beauty of the seaside, she makes her decision about her place and purpose in the world. Margaret regains her spiritual strength and takes command of her situation. She lets her London family know that she will now be deciding for herself how to spend her time and efforts. She begins to spend time doing what she feels is important, which includes going to some of the more wretched places in London to try to make a difference in the lives of those who truly need her compassion and care.

And all this she does with the conviction that she will never marry—never live in Milton again. She believes John Thornton could no longer be in love with her, a liar.

So, with the aid of nature’s vast, infinite persepctive, she carves out a secondary dream of a purposeful life, in which she can give her love to those who need it. How beautiful it is, then, when her first dream of happiness is fulfilled—when she discovers Thornton’s steadfast love and a whole new life waiting for her in Milton.

Do you remember a time when you found comfort or peace from nature?

What are your favorite places to absorb the beauty of nature?