Manchester in
J. Winterson and A. Tocqueville.

The second chapter of the book "Why be happy when you
could be normal" starts with the description of Manchester's city. It is set in
1959 when J. Winterson was born. At the beginning, she describes her birth city
in a positive way saying that " it was a good place to be born". Firstly, we
can notice some contradictions about Manchester. In fact, the place's position
is described as if it were located "in the south of the north of England". In
this case the south and the north are in contrast. Furthermore, it is untamed
and unmetropolitan but, at the same time, connected and worldly. There's also a
contradiction in the fact that Manchester is located and shared between
Lancashire and Cheshire.

Manchester was full of looms and mills which had
changed the environment and the greatness of Britain: the city was a perfect
example of the industrialization process. It also had canals which linked
Manchester to Liverpool's harbor. Railways that carried up and down to London.
Anything the men had created and built in it affected the whole world. In
addition, Manchester was all mix and at the same time active.

In conclusion we can understand the horrible other
face of Manchester. It is described like a hell, full of smoke, filth, stink of
dye, coal exc. Workers, both men and women, worked a lot and they were always
exhausted.

Another important description of Manchester was
written by A. Tocqueville. She analyses the landscape of Manchester during the
Industrial Revolution, focusing her attention to the consequences of poor
people. At the beginning, she gives some geographical information but her
central aim was to underline and to better make sense to the readers of what
the industrialization process had made.

In conclusion, the description of Manchester by
Tocqueville is pretty realistic in order to make the readers understand how the
situation really was. While, in the same time, J. Winterson describes the city
adding her feelings, maybe because she's dealing with her birth city.