The industrial novels tackle the effects that industrialization had on the working
classes. Both Sybil and Mary Barton are industrial novels that deal with the social
upheaval that dominated the hungry forties. Both novels highlight the gap
between the rich and the poor. Although Gaskell and Disraeli converge in their
recognition of the problem, they diverge in their treatment of the subject matter.
Disraeli's novel Sybil is an attempt to restore an idealized world view of
patriarchal relationships. In contrast, in Mary Barton Gaskell sought to explore
and subvert the traditional role of women in Victorian society.