When I find myself adjusting to new seasons, reflection and daydreaming are close at hand. Which is how starting a book club first came to be…
Maybe you feel the same impulse to reflect and think of positive changes… it’s almost as if a new season means a fresh start. As you consider how to encourage learning and the cultivation of community this season, maybe you’ll consider a book club! This past winter/spring, a group of women gathered to discuss North and South. Quite honestly there are few things that go together like desserts, friends, and a good book!
Elizabeth Gaskell has created a novel that continues to captivate even the modern ear, as she delves into what it means to be a woman that faces newness (love, maturation, loss, home…) with integrity and virtue. The book is set in England in the mid-1800s and, fun fact, was originally edited by Charles Dickens! Maybe you’ve heard of Elizabeth Gaskell or maybe you haven’t. Regardless, I hope you may come to consider North and South a classic and find the discussion questions below as a good reading companion. Have you read North and South already? What did you think?
You’ll find the discussion questions broken down into three parts (I hosted three evenings because it is a larger book with lots of good content to discuss!). Most of the questions I wrote, but a few I found in various places online - there are a lot of good resources available. NOTE: There may be spoilers, so scroll with caution!
Part I
1. Who is Margaret Hale? What might we learn from her through her relationship with Mr. Lennox?
2. What is your impression of Mr. and Mrs. Hale throughout the pages read so far? Is their relationship with one another and their idea of "home" healthy?
3. How does the author present Helstone/the south through the thoughts and feelings of Margaret?
4. How is Milton/the north described? In what ways is it contrasted with the south?
5. Why do you think Margaret disliked Mr. Thornton at first? Do you believe her dislike was reasonable or not?
6. What is your impression of Mr Thornton? Do you find his character heroic & integral through his relationships & work? Why or why not?
7. Why might Gaskel include a character such as Bessy? Isn't this supposed to be a "romance novel"?
8. In many ways, North and South is a novel with numerous social themes - themes related to nostalgia, religion, conscience, classism, education, female independence, and more. What themes stood out to you?
Part II
1. DRAMA! In chapter XXII - XXIV a lot happens in Margaret and Mr Thornton's relationship. How did you process these chapters? Did they shift your perception of their characters at all?
2. How would you describe the shifts, changes, and progression (or decline) of Margaret and Mr Thornton's relationship by the end of our reading? Do we gain further insight through the situation at the train station?
3. Describe the hardships taking place. Do we see these hardships help facilitate growth within characters and progression in the novel, or do they merely offer us a sad evening of reading?
4. Do we see the themes of nostalgia, religion, classism, education, and female independence continue or evolve? What themes stick out to you at this point in the reading? What might Gaskell be trying to tell us through these themes?
5. Last time we talked about the symbolism of the north and south within characters and places. How have we seen this idea progress? In other words, why is the north and south so crucial to this novel that it made its way to the book title?
6. Is there anything else that caught your attention or that you want to pose to the group?
Part III
1. How is our perception of the north and south continued to develop, especially as we read more about the south in this section? Are there similarities or differences? Has your perception of the north and south shifted from the beginning to the end?
2. We read a lot more of Margaret's introspection in this section. How would you describe Margaret's sentiments and relationship with Mr Thornton?
3. How do we understand love from the perspective of Mr. Thornton?
4. What makes Milton feel like home to Margaret? This is first alluded to on page 363, the first page of chapter XLIV.
5. We read a lot more of Margaret's introspection in this section and her processing of grief. Are there particularly ways in which we see her growth as a result?
6. In some ways we can see her as "a hero of her own story", but through what realizations and actions does she become the hero?
7. The ending!!! What are your thoughts & feelings & observations?
Bonus question (if time permits) : Are there any questions you'd like to pose to the group or observations as you think about the text as a whole?