Description
“Consumption, I am aware, is a flattering malady” Charlotte Brontë, 1849
Disease and dying were common hazards for characters in Victorian novels. For the modern reader, 19th century novels can sometimes seem packed full of sentimental deathbeds like Jo’s death in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House.
The reality was that in 1800 approximately one in every three children died before their 5th birthday. Fatal diseases such as consumption were common for all ages and literature often reflected real life.
Sherry Ashworth takes us on the Grim Reaper’s final journey starting with the heroine’s redemptive death from Typhus in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth. Get your hankies ready for a range of death beds through Victorian fiction including Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. As we deep-dive into ‘A Flattering Malady’, join like-minded literary fans as we ask, what is the meaning of it all?
‘Sherry is excellent.’ Visitor to previous online event.
Recorded October 2025.
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Celebrating the life and literature of Elizabeth Gaskell, Manchester’s most famous Victorian writer. A restored Victorian middle-class house in the heart of a UNESCO City of Literature.
House, Garden and Tea Room open every Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 11am-4.30pm (last entry 3pm). Second-hand books also on sale from the House.
Pre-booking advised via the website.
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