Mary Barton Author:Elizabeth Gaskell Elizabeth Gaskell was a Victorian short storywriter and novelist. Her biography of Charlotte Bronte is her most famous work. Gaskell's novels portray varied social classes. Gaskell saw and wrote about the problems caused by the gulf between the social classes. She fought for tolerance and better labor conditions. John Barton is a desperate ... more »man watching his family and friends dying of want in a world where the rich enjoy leisure and luxury. As he is drawn into drastic action to fight the injustice, his daughter Mary is tempted by the attractions of a rich lover. Mary must choose between Jem Wilson, a working class man and Harry Carson, the son of a rich industrialist« less