Step into the elegant but precarious world of the Dashwood sisters in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility. The rational Elinor and the impetuous Marianne share a sisterly bond that endures despite all outside challenges. Sisterhood was a key theme in many of Jane Austen’s best-loved novels from the close relationship of Lizzy and Jane Bennet in Pride and Prejudice to the difficult relationship between the Elliot sisters in Persuasion. So how does literature reflect reality and Jane’s own lifelong intimacy with her sister Cassandra?

Elizabeth Gaskell may not have known sisterhood in her personal life but she explored it through her novels including the ‘Amazons’ of Cranford – a neighbourhood of women maintaining social respectability with wit, courage and tea. From the gentle Miss Matty and her formidable sister Deborah to the wider sisterhood of their community, Elizabeth Gaskell portrayed the intricacies of female friendship. She looked at sisterhood again in Wives and Daughters with the complex stepsister dynamic of Molly Gibson and Cynthia Kirkpatrick. Does their contrasting character deepen their sisterly bond?

So, how does sisterhood define these two classic women writers? And is it a bond that endures for readers today?

This lively online talk is produced in association with Elizabeth Gaskell’s House.

DETAILS:
Date: Sunday 3 May 2026
Time: 8pm – 9pm (BST)
Location: This event will take place online. Join from the comfort of your own home!
Tickets: £7 / Virtual Festival Pass

**Tickets are also available as part of our Virtual Festival Pass – if you wish to attend all three online events, this is the best option!

This event will take place on Zoom. Please provide a valid email address, as you will be emailed a link to join the tour in the run up to the event. Please check your junk folders!

 If you are joining as a group or household, please buy one ticket for each person attending.  All proceeds go towards the upkeep of the Museum. 

This event will be recorded so you can watch again later. All ticket-holders will be emailed a link to the recording after the event. The recording will be accessible for 14 days.

Timings are given in UK time (BST) – please do check what the event time is in your territory, to ensure you log in at the right time. 

🌺 This event is part of our festival Spring Fling! running from 1 – 4 May 2026, and Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Short Stories – Cranford season.