Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was a respected English novelist, short story writer, and biographer during the Victorian era. She was born in London but spent much of her life in Manchester, a city that heavily influenced her writing. Gaskell's novels, such as Mary Barton, North and South, and Cranford, are praised for their realistic portrayal of Victorian society, particularly the social and industrial issues of the time.
Gaskell became a close friend of Charlotte Brontë in the final years of Brontë’s life. After Brontë's death, her father, Patrick Brontë, asked Gaskell to write his daughter’s biography. Gaskell’s deep friendship and her own literary skill made her the ideal choice. Her empathetic and detailed writing style allowed her to create a biography that not only informs but also emotionally resonates with the reader, solidifying her place as a crucial figure in both fiction and non-fiction Victorian literature.
