Sylvia's lovers I.

The sprawling novel Sylvia's Lovers, the first part of which we now present, stands apart from even the diverse body of work Elizabeth Gaskell can boast. One of her hobbies helped her to create it: she liked to travel on vacation. These were of double benefit to her: on the one hand, she regained her strength (which, given her constant work and busy social life, she really needed! ), but also her travels provided her with inspiration.

So in November 1859 she headed for North Yorkshire, to the seaside town and port of Whitby. Anyone who knows this mansion will guess at the beginning what the name of the fictional Monkshaven actually is. Not only the detailed - yet readable - description, but also the events he reads about, will help him to do so.

We won't tell you how the whole story will turn out. We'll just repeat that it is outside Elizabeth Gaskell's style for other reasons as well. Not that there's any shortage of strong women in the other episodes; Almost every title is based on a female personality who braves adversity. Yet there is something else in Sylvia, which lends its name to the title of this novel: strained emotions and passions. Perhaps even the wearer is aware that it would be better to keep them at bay, but she can't. Whether this will ultimately bring her happiness or destruction, you will read in the next parts.

When the author began writing this epic, she had only six years to live. And they were not - at least by circumstance - happy years. Exhaustion, declining health, the economic recession in Manchester, all could not fail to affect the writer. Even more admirable is the fact that she was able to complete such an extensive work. She gave them to her husband. We can therefore assume that in her private life she had happy moments in the family circle when her overall situation was taking a turn for the worse.

The novel Sylvia's Lovers is therefore also exceptional for another reason: this is Elizabeth Gaskell's last completed work.

However, we believe that this is far from the main reason why you got into it. Sylvie and the other characters must have grown on you, as they did on us.

Translated from the original Sylvia´s Lovers by Jana Srbová.