Cousin Phillis

Cousin Phillis (1864) is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell. It was published in four parts, though a fifth and sixth part were planned.[1] The story is about 19-year-old Paul Manning,^ who moves to the country and befriends his mother's family and his (second) cousin Phillis Holman, who is confused by her own placement at the edge of adolescence.[2]

Most critics agree that Cousin Phillis is Gaskell's crowning achievement in the short novel.[3] The story is uncomplicated;[1] its virtues are in the manner of its development and telling. Cousin Phillis is also recognized as a fitting prelude for Gaskell's final and most widely acclaimed novel, Wives and Daughters, which ran in Cornhill Magazine from August 1864 to January 1866.

Characters
  • Paul Manning (the narrator, Phillis's cousin)
  • Mr Manning (Paul's father)
  • Mr Edward Holdsworth
  • Mr Holman (independent church minister)
  • Mrs Holman
  • Miss Phillis Holman
  • Mr Ellison (Mr Manning's business partner)
  • Miss Lucille Ventadur (at last Mr Holdsworth's wife)
  • Betty (the servant at Holman house)

References
  1. Aiko, Watanabe (2008-02-28). "The Use of Pastoral and the Problem of Change in Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South and Cousin Phillis". 早稲田大学大学院文学研究科紀要 第2分冊 英文学 フランス語フランス文学 ドイツ語ドイツ文学 ロシア語ロシア文化 中国語中国文学. 53. ISSN 1341-7525.
  2. Rogers, Philip (1995-06-01). "The Education of Cousin Phillis". NINETEEN CENT LIT. 50 (1): 27–50. doi:10.2307/2933872. ISSN 0891-9356.
  3. Shattock, Joanne, ed. (2010). "The Cambridge Companion to English Literature, 1830-1914". Cambridge Core. doi:10.1017/CCOL9780521882880.

Notes
^^ Paul is seventeen at the beginning of the story, but he turns nineteen before meeting his cousin Phillis.


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