Feminism
The thematic foundation of feminism is situated in the imagery of the very opening words of the narrative. The author wastes no time in diving head-first into what was doubtlessly a dark body of water potentially holding unknown creatures of patriarchal dissent:
“In the first place, Cranford is in possession of the Amazons; all the holders of houses above a certain rent are women. If a married couple come to settle in the town, somehow the gentleman disappears; he is either fairly frightened to death by being the only man in the Cranford evening parties, or he is accounted for by being with his regiment, his ship, or closely engaged in business all the week in the great neighboring commercial town of Drumble, distant only twenty miles on a railroad.”
Elegant Economy
Matters financial and economic are a constant state of concern in Cranford. That this is known to be true far and wide is a matter of some mystery since it is the depth of bad taste to ever discuss such topics. Which means, of course, that money becomes a topic of constant discourse it its own idiosyncratic way:
“Wafer bread-and-butter and sponge-biscuits were all that the Honourable Mrs Jamieson gave; and she was sister-in-law to the late Earl of Glenmire, although she did practise such `elegant economy.’
`Elegant economy!’ How naturally one falls back into the phraseology of Cranford! There, economy was always `elegant,’ and money-spending always `vulgar and ostentatious’; a sort of sour-grapeism which made us very peaceful and satisfied.”
Proper Attire
Elegance applies not merely to finances, but attire. Cranford is simply not a place given to the more voluptuous economics of dress. The key, as always, is holding back on actual self-expression less the self be fully expressed through dress:
“The expenditure on dress in Cranford was principally in that one article referred to. If the heads were buried in smart new caps, the ladies were like ostriches, and cared not what became of their bodies…The expenditure on dress in Cranford was principally in that one article referred to. If the heads were buried in smart new caps, the ladies were like ostriches, and cared not what became of their bodies.”
That Sort of Place…You Know?
There is a song by the post-punk British band Gang of Four that creates imagery of certain familiar circumstances with the lyrics, “I know that you think that you know what I said, but do you realize that what I said's not what I meant?” Similar imagery seems to strongly suggest that Cranford is the type of place where this multiple level of meaning is palpably omnipresent:
“When Mrs Forrester...gave a party in her baby-house of a dwelling, and the little maiden disturbed the ladies on the sofa by a request that she might get the tea-tray out from underneath, everyone took this novel proceeding as the most natural thing in the world… though she knew, and we knew, and she knew that we knew, and we knew that she knew that we knew, she had been busy all the morning making tea-bread and sponge-cakes.”
