Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English author who wrote biographies, short stories, and novels. Because her work often depicted the lives of Victorian society, including the individual effects of the Industrial Revolution, Gaskell has impacted the fields of both literature and history. While Gaskell is now a revered author, she was criticized and overlooked during her lifetime, dismissed by other authors and critics because of her gender. However, after her death, Gaskell earned a respected legacy and is credited to have paved the way for feminist movements.

When Margaret Hale is forced to move from the quiet country to an industrial town in Northern England, she is unable to ignore the plight of the lower classes, or her attraction to a complicated mill owner. North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell is romance novel set during the Industrial Revolution in England.