'Moorland Cottage' Summary

Maggie Brown, the protagonist of Elizabeth Gaskell's "Moorland Cottage," is a young woman torn between her duty to her family and her own desires. Maggie's mother constantly tells her to live for her selfish brother, to whom she gives all her love. But Maggie yearns for a life of her own, and she finds herself drawn to Frank. Maggie's plight for independence reflects the changing roles of women in Victorian England. But the novel also keeps to the tradition of an almost Cinderella story: the pure woman who sacrifices for others is rewarded for her selflessness. "Moorland Cottage" is a beautifully written and thought-provoking novel that explores the complex relationships between love, duty, and self-sacrifice.