This thesis argues that craft functions in the nineteenth century as a form of communication that expresses female identity in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford and Margaret Oliphant's Miss Marjoribanks. By looking at the novels through the lens of Talia Schaffer's craft paradigm in connection with Thing theory, it is possible to make connections between the role of craft and identity, which in turn raises questions about craft and female agency. These connections to female agency illuminate tensions between craft and the economy, gender disparity in the arts, and the limitations of class. In order to explore these notions it is integral to investigate the craft movements that surround them (such as domestic handicrafts, the Design Reform movement, and the Arts and Crafts movement) because each brings with it a set of aesthetic standards that inform craft culture. This inquiry ultimately begs the question: has anything changed in the twenty first century?
","abstract_html":"<p>This thesis argues that craft functions in the nineteenth century as a form of communication that expresses female identity in Elizabeth Gaskell's <em>Cranford</em> and Margaret Oliphant's <em>Miss Marjoribanks</em>. By looking at the novels through the lens of Talia Schaffer's craft paradigm in connection with Thing theory, it is possible to make connections between the role of craft and identity, which in turn raises questions about craft and female agency. These connections to female agency illuminate tensions between craft and the economy, gender disparity in the arts, and the limitations of class. In order to explore these notions it is integral to investigate the craft movements that surround them (such as domestic handicrafts, the Design Reform movement, and the Arts and Crafts movement) because each brings with it a set of aesthetic standards that inform craft culture. This inquiry ultimately begs the question: has anything changed in the twenty first century?</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Larson, Amanda C."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"English Language and Literature","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Andrea Kaston Tange, Ph.D., Chair","Laura George, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-08-12T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-08-12T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z","subjects":["Arts and crafts","arts","handicraft","English Language and Literature"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/643","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Andrea Kaston Tange, Ph.D., Chair","Laura George, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Larson, Amanda C."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-06-23T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English Language and Literature"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Arts and crafts","arts","handicraft","English Language and Literature"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/643"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis argues that craft functions in the nineteenth century as a form of communication that expresses female identity in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford and Margaret Oliphant's Miss Marjoribanks. By looking at the novels through the lens of Talia Schaffer's craft paradigm in connection with Thing theory, it is possible to make connections between the role of craft and identity, which in turn raises questions about craft and female agency. These connections to female agency illuminate tensions between craft and the economy, gender disparity in the arts, and the limitations of class. In order to explore these notions it is integral to investigate the craft movements that surround them (such as domestic handicrafts, the Design Reform movement, and the Arts and Crafts movement) because each brings with it a set of aesthetic standards that inform craft culture. This inquiry ultimately begs the question: has anything changed in the twenty first century?
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["\"Trifles of value\": Craft as communication in Victorian literature"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Andrea Kaston Tange, Ph.D., Chair","Laura George, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Larson, Amanda C."],"dc:date.available":["2016-06-23T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis argues that craft functions in the nineteenth century as a form of communication that expresses female identity in Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford and Margaret Oliphant's Miss Marjoribanks. By looking at the novels through the lens of Talia Schaffer's craft paradigm in connection with Thing theory, it is possible to make connections between the role of craft and identity, which in turn raises questions about craft and female agency. These connections to female agency illuminate tensions between craft and the economy, gender disparity in the arts, and the limitations of class. In order to explore these notions it is integral to investigate the craft movements that surround them (such as domestic handicrafts, the Design Reform movement, and the Arts and Crafts movement) because each brings with it a set of aesthetic standards that inform craft culture. This inquiry ultimately begs the question: has anything changed in the twenty first century?
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/643"],"dc:subject":["Arts and crafts","arts","handicraft","English Language and Literature"],"dc:title":["\"Trifles of value\": Craft as communication in Victorian literature"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English Language and Literature"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:06Z"}