Ruth

I just finished Ruth (1853) by Elizabeth Gaskell. Surprising!

I found it surprising, I guess, because I recently read Cranford, which had almost no plot at all, whereas Ruth has a fairly sophisticated plot.

Ruth is a "fallen woman" who suffers terribly as a result. It was shocking how many of the people ostracizing her were other women. There was apparently no solidarity of any kind among 19th century English women. Meanwhile, the man she, er fell with, suffered no consequences of any kind. Many of those same characters ostracizing Ruth so cruelly were eager to forgive the man. Indeed, there was nothing to forgive. He was not an older man taking advantage of a teenaged girl; he was a respectable gentleman being led astray by a depraved woman.