Ruth is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in three
volumes in 1853.
The book is a social novel, dealing with Victorian views about sin and
illegitimacy. It is a surprisingly compassionate portrayal of a 'fallen woman',
a type of person normally outcast from respectable society. The title of the
novel refers to the main character Ruth Hilton, an orphaned young seamstress who
is seduced and then abandoned by gentleman Henry Bellingham. Ruth, pregnant and
alone, is taken in by a minister and his sister. They conceal her single status
under the pretence of widowhood in order to protect her child from the social
stigma of illegitimacy. Ruth goes on to gain a respectable position in society
as a governess, which is threatened by the return of Bellingham and the
revelation of her secret.
-- Excerpted from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
