The struggle for colonies and the fate of a human being in -Sylvia`s lovers by Elizabeth Gaskell

The article analyses Gaskell s historical novel "Sylvia s Lovers" (1863). The stress is done on the problem-theme aspect of the novel, to be more precise on the theme of colonial policy of Great Britain in XVIII-XIX centuries and the influence of global historical processes on the fate of common people who are the main characters of the novel. Also, the paper deals with the realistic creative principle used in the depiction of characters of common people. The article discusses the use of both the English folklore in character creation and the popular legend of the XII century in the development of love line of the plot. The impact of Unitarian ethics on the author‘s world-view reflected in the resolution of the conflict is analyzed.