I
Poetry was not Mrs. Gaskell’s forte, but her poetical instinct revealed itself especially in her prose idylls—Cranford and Cousin Phillis.
Almost all her articles and sketches were written for Household Words and All the Year Round, though Mrs. Gaskell’s fame rests on her novels. Charles Dickens eagerly secured Mrs. Gaskell as a regular contributor to his magazine, and her versatility was shown by the many different subjects which she discussed with so much ability.