“Elizabeth Gaskell and Victorian Short Fiction”

In the last couple of decades, critical reappraisals of Gaskell’s shorter fiction have been at the heart of a wider burgeoning interest in the Victorian short story. Discussions of Gaskell have shown her use of the form for radical explorations of gender, power relations, religion, history and the emotions, as well as revealing striking generic differences from her better-known longer works. The 2015 edition of the Gaskell Journal invites papers which extend this consideration of Gaskell as a writer of short fiction, including her short stories and novellas. The editors invite innovative readings of these works, and comparative studies of Gaskell’s short fiction alongside that of her literary peers.

The special number will be co-edited by Dr Rebecca Styler (Gaskell Journal Editor) and Dr Elizabeth Ludlow (Guest Editor) who have both published on Gaskell’s short fiction. Articles are due by  March 1, 2015 to rstyler@lincoln.ac.uk (please follow the stylesheet to be found in the ‘Authors’ section of journal website, gaskelljournal.co.uk). Please direct any queries or expressions of interest to rstyler@lincoln.ac.uk .