Frances Hodgson Burnett is best known for her children’s books The Secret Garden (1911) and Little Lord Fauntleroy (1888) but she first made her name with industrial novels That Lass o’ Lowrie’s (1877) and Haworth’s (1879).

That Lass o’ Lowrie’s tells the story of a remarkable ‘pit brow lassie’ (woman coal worker) Joan Lowrie, while Haworth’s offers a rags to riches to rags tale from the foundry floor. Manchester -born Burnett admired Elizabeth Gaskell and here Prof Sanders explores how her industrial novels reflect both Mary Barton (1848) and North and South (1854-55). Did she shamelessly copy or subtly adapt Elizabeth’s famous novels? Join us for a closer looking at two classic women writers.

‘It was absolutely superb – very informative and delivered with authority ‘ Visitor to previous Prof Sanders event