Cranford

8 ways to start a deeper conversation.

Contains spoilers for the entire book.

Discussion topics

Topic 01 of 08

What makes the ladies of Cranford, the 'Amazons', so funny and so dear?

There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.

What makes the ladies of Cranford, the 'Amazons', so funny and so dear?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of their 'elegant economy'?
- How do they manage without men?
How does Captain Brown disturb Cranford, and win it over?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of his argument with Miss Jenkyns about Dickens and Dr Johnson?
- How did you feel about his death?
Why is Miss Matty the heart of the book?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the love she was never allowed to pursue?
- How does she grow in confidence?
What does the visit to Mr Holbrook show about Miss Matty's past?
Keep the conversation going
- Why did she not marry him?
- How did his death affect her?
What does the story of Peter's flight from home reveal about the Jenkyns family?
Keep the conversation going
- How did you feel about his mother's grief?
- What does his return mean to Miss Matty?
How does Cranford respond when Miss Matty loses her money?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of her friends' secret plan to help?
- What did you make of her selling tea?
How does Cranford face change, from the railway to new ideas?
Keep the conversation going
- What does the town resist, and what does it accept?
- What is lost?
What does Mary Smith, the narrator who comes and goes, bring to the book?
Keep the conversation going
- Is she inside or outside Cranford?
- How does she feel about it by the end?

There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.