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Cranford

Elizabeth Gaskell

Cranford

Paper book: €24.99

Digital: €5.99

Original publication
1853
Monolingual
12 June 2026
Pages
523
Difficulty
Medium
Genres
Romance, Philosophy
Moods
Feel comforted, Have a laugh
Translated from
English

Book summary

In Cranford, a small country town, almost every house is kept by ladies, often poor, who never talk about money. The narrator, Mary Smith, spends long stays there with Miss Matty, the shy and very kind daughter of the late rector. Along the way we meet a cow dressed in flannel, a love turned down long ago and a fear of burglars that spreads through the whole town.

Elizabeth Gaskell tells of these small lives with gentle humour. A funny, touching book about quiet kindness and helping one another.

Made up of short scenes, like so many visits, it is easy to read in the language you are learning.

The plot

毛織りのチョッキで歩く牛。クランフォードに住む老婦人ベッツィ・バーカー嬢は、飼い牛をわが娘のようにかわいがっています。ある日、牛が石灰の穴に落ち、毛がほとんど抜けてしまいます。元軍人のブラウン大尉は、暖かい毛織物のフランネルでチョッキを作ってやるよう勧めます。こうして、灰色のフランネルを着て牧場へ向かう牛を、町じゅうの人が見物に出てきます。

The world of the book

婦人たちが暮らす小さな町。クランフォードは19世紀イギリスの小さな町。立派な家のほとんどは女性のもので、男たちは近くの大きな町で働いています。婦人たちは正午から3時までに訪ね合い、15分以上は決して長居しません。お金に困っている人も多いのに、だれもそれを口にしません。夜10時半には、町じゅうが眠りにつきます。

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