Mary Barton
In the grim industrial world of Manchester, the weaver’s daughter Mary Barton is caught between two suitors as hunger, injustice, and simmering class rage drive the city’s mill workers toward violence and a murder that touches her own heart. Gaskell’s powerful first novel gave middle-class readers an unflinching view of working-class suffering and the human cost of the Industrial Revolution. Compassionate and courageous, Mary Barton blends romance and social protest with deep sympathy for the poor. A landmark of the industrial ‘condition of England’ novel, it remains a moving and important portrait of poverty, love, and the widening gulf between masters and men in Victorian England.
About the Author
Elizabeth Gaskell (1810-1865) was an English novelist whose work ranged from the industrial social novel to tender provincial comedy. Admired by Dickens, she wrote Cranford, North and South, and the first major biography of Charlotte Brontë.
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Listen to Mary Barton Audiobook Free
Listen to Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell free online. The full audiobook (15 hr 57 min, 38 chapters, read by volunteer narrators) streams free on this page.
Mary Barton (1848) is a public domain work.
| # | Chapter | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Mysterious Disappearance | 26:59 | |
| 2 | A Manchester Tea-Party. | 14:59 | |
| 3 | John Barton's Great Trouble. | 22:05 | |
| 4 | Old Alice's History. | 25:23 | |
| 5 | The Mill On Fire--Jem Wilson To The Rescue. | 48:13 | |
| 6 | Poverty And Death. | 46:09 | |
| 7 | Jem Wilson's Repulse. | 19:46 | |
| 8 | Margaret's Debut As A Public Singer. | 37:45 | |
| 9 | Barton's London Experiences. | 35:55 | |
| 10 | Return Of The Prodigal. | 31:37 | |
| 11 | Mr. Carson's Intentions Revealed. | 33:05 | |
| 12 | Old Alice's Bairn. | 20:51 | |
| 13 | A Traveller's Tales. | 25:25 | |
| 14 | Jem's Interview With Poor Esther. | 29:52 | |
| 15 | A Violent Meeting Between The Rivals. | 40:42 | |
| 16 | Meeting Between Masters And Workmen. | 22:46 | |
| 17 | Barton's Night Errand. | 27:03 | |
| 18 | Murder. | 24:06 | |
| 19 | Jem Wilson Arrested On Suspicion. | 25:30 | |
| 20 | Mary's Dream--And The Awakening. | 17:45 | |
| 21 | Esther's Motive In Seeking Mary. | 24:21 | |
| 22 | Mary's Efforts To Prove An Alibi. | 28:06 | |
| 23 | The Sub-Poena. | 30:12 | |
| 24 | With The Dying. | 19:06 | |
| 25 | Mrs. Wilson's Determination. | 19:47 | |
| 26 | The Journey To Liverpool. | 7:32 | |
| 27 | In The Liverpool Docks. | 16:10 | |
| 28 | "John Cropper," Ahoy! | 15:27 | |
| 29 | A True Bill Against Jem. | 11:43 | |
| 30 | Job Legh's Deception. | 10:11 | |
| 31 | How Mary Passed The Night. | 12:32 | |
| 32 | The Trial And Verdict--"Not Guilty!" | 42:18 | |
| 33 | Requiescat In Pace. | 28:54 | |
| 34 | The Return Home. | 32:05 | |
| 35 | "Forgive Us Our Trespasses." | 34:02 | |
| 36 | Jem's Interview With Mr. Duncombe. | 15:28 | |
| 37 | Details Connected With The Murder. | 21:25 | |
| 38 | Conclusion. | 11:51 |
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