«Север и юг»: история двух культур или история перемен?

Abstract

The novel of the British writer Elizabeth Gaskell "North and South" is often put on a par with the industrial novels of that era, the main theme of which, as a rule, was the opposition of the worldviews of the middle and working class. However, taking the historical context of the novel into account, namely the era of Queen Victoria's reign as a period of progress and rapid changes, we tend to consider "North and South" a novel about changes and mutual influence of phenomena opposite in nature, which enables us to understand the present novel as a novel of upbringing. These processes take place in the novel simultaneously at several levels (territorial, social and personal), at the same time transforming the socio-cultural space of the whole of England. The railway, a symbol of technological progress and industrialization, connects the agrarian south and the industrial north, thereby actualizing changes at the territorial level. Margaret Hale and John Thornton not only find a way to reconcile the two existing views within the middle class, but also find a way to mutual understanding with representatives of the working class. In the historical and social perspective, this can be seen as progress at the level of social and class conflict. Finally, the characters experience changes in their own characters and go through a reassessment of the value system. It is noteworthy that changes occur not only at each of the levels in particular, but at all three at the same time, with each of them serving as a catalyst for transformations in other areas. Thus, "North and South" becomes the embodiment of the progress of England in the middle of XIX century.