Based on a correspondence between Elizabeth Gaskell and Charles Dickens, Elizabeth and Ruth tells the story of Elizabeth Gaskell’s relationship with a young prostitute in Manchester’s New Bailey prison, and how this relationship helped to define her as a writer.

Based on a correspondence between Elizabeth Gaskell and Charles Dickens, Elizabeth and Ruth tells the story of Elizabeth Gaskell’s relationship with a young prostitute in Manchester’s New Bailey prison, and how this relationship helped to define her as a writer.