Literature in English, British Isles Commons^™

Middlemarch's Dorothea Brooke And Medieval Hagiography, Judith Johnston

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Saint Theresa's life of achievement is offered as a contrast to the heroine of Middlemarch, Dorothea Brooke, and all that Dorothea fails to achieve. George Eliot examines Dorothea' s life in part through the medium of medieval hagiography, a form which recognises the tensions and crises through which a martyr passes. But George Eliot depends upon the paradox that martyrdom is achieved as readily from submissiveness and ineffectuality as from resistance and effective administration. Thus Eliot offers the reader a heroine whose life passes through a state of metamorphosis which is very like the passage through martyrdom regardless of whether …

New George Eliot Letters, William Baker

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

My hunt through the archives of the world for unpublished George Henry Lewes letters for a forthcoming edition of his letters has so far thrown up over 450 unpublished letters in his hand. It would hardly be surprising if the search sometimes produced unpublished George Eliot letters and related documents. A February 1991 letter to Charles W. Mann, Chief Rare Books and Special Collections at the Pattee Library, the Pennsylvania State University Library, resulted in a rich harvest of materials. The Allison-Shelley Collection of over 10,000 books and many thousands of letters, manuscripts and drawings was bequeathed to the Pennsylvania …

Review Of George Eliot: Selected Critical Writings, Rosemary Ashton

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Walter Houghton made duality, and especially opposites, the keystone of his analysis of the Victorian frame of mind. Eliot's mind fits happily into that dualistic frame. Was she George or Marian (or any variation of the latter)? Was she the contriver of the novels or was it her husband? Was she hypochondriac or valetudinarian, diffident or arrogant, prominent or retiring, imposing or horse-faced? The identity remains fascinatingly protean.

If deciding whether Eliot was novelist or poet is less difficult than a similar decision with regard to Hardy, the common reader (and more particularly the paperback purchaser) has been at a …

Versatile Victorian; Selected Critical Writings Of George Henry Lewes, Rosemary Ashton

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

This admirable collection, its succinct introduction indicating the range and quality of Lewes's criticism, is a feast This is the place to taste Lewes selectively. I like to think: that it is true that the best part of an author's life lies in his/her own writing, and these occasional pieces and essays reflect Lewes's vibrant and vital personality, with his unashamed expressions of delight in what he likes and the unequivocal evaluations of what he doesn't. Even when he is subjective we are aware of the play of intellect. He can be provocative, as the title of his first piece …

Review Of Gordon S. Haight; George Eliot's Originals And Contemporaries: Essays In Victorian Literary History And Biography, Hugh Witemeyer

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

It is good to meet old friends, to discover again who is the real heroine of Middlemarch and to realise that Ladislaw can be defended and that Or Leavis was deaf to George Eliot's irony. Casaubon may not really have been impotent. All those theories about originals have been thoroughly tested, evaluated, replaced or re-stated by the investigative particularity of an eminent George Eliot scholar and, as some would have us believe, her definitive biographer (though I do not accept this last claim). Was Klesmer Liszt or, as appears more likely, a mercurial Rubinstein? Was Casaubon Mark Pattison? Does it …

Review Of Greatness Engendered: George Eliot And Virginia Woolf, Alison Booth

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

This detailed study is in the series Reading Women Writing, and it presupposes not only a familiarity with everything that George Eliot and Virginia Woolf wrote but also a comprehensive knowledge of scholarship and criticism about them. Miss Booth writes with verve and, at times, directness and wit. She tells us that 'In effect Eliot and Woolf are palace spies, consorting with patriarchal traditions to expose their flaws.' The ensuing examination is a searching one which moves from acknowledged subjectivity to informed (and consistent) perspectives. The weight of running scholarship and cross reference sometimes threatens to sink the narrative, but …

Annual Report- 1992, Kathleen Adams

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

As I reach the end of my 25 years as Secretary of the Fellowship I inevitably look back to the beginning of my years of office and, as I prepared this report, to the first one I delivered 24 years ago. It covered half of a sheet of quarto paper. The events recorded were insignificant compared to our current programme but we did have Richard Church as our Guest of Honour at the Birthday Dinner in 1968. Our membership for that year had just reached 60, 7 of whom were life members.

1992 began, as always, with a quiet Annual …

London Branch Report 1992, Graham Handley, Beryl Gray

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

The London Branch celebrated George Eliot's birthday by bolding a luncheon in her honor on 29th November at St Philip’s Church, Earls Court Road, London W8. This was attended by about 40 members and friends, and was preceded by a programme of readings devised by Margaret Wolfit and taken from Romola and Daniel Deronda. Margaret had chosen the appropriate title of The Italian Connection, and her sequence of extracts was greatly appreciated by the audience who listened to her with rapt attention for more than an hour. The luncheon followed, and once again we are indebted to Michael and Suzanne …

The Twenty-First George Eliot Memorial Lecture: The Names Of George Eliot, Ruth M. Harris

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

'What's in a name?’ asked Juliet. Our response would surely be different if Romeo were no longer called Romeo, and from that romantic balcony in Verona there came the cry: 'O Egbert, Egbert, wherefore art thou, Egbert?' As an exploration of George Eliot's names should reveal, there is far more significance in names than Juliet or we might imagine.

Allowing for minor differences, George Eliot chose or was given seventeen different names during her life-time: Mary Ann(e) Evans, Little Mama, Marianne Evans, Marian Evans, Clematis, Deutera, Polly, Pollian, Marian Lewes, Marian Evans Lewes, Mutter, Madonna, The Prioress, our Lady, Beatrice, …

Review Of George Eliot, Kristin Brady

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

The general editors of this series, Eva Figes and Adele King, explain that there is a need for their series of feminist readings because much of the criticism on selected women writers by male critics is usually unfair, false or simplistic (vii). Kristin Brady very quickly and effectively proves their point in the first chapter of George Eliot by referring to many influential nineteenth- and twentieth-century male critics who were often more preoccupied with Eliot's appearance or what they judged to be her suspect femininity than with a straightforward consideration of her artistic achievements. Among such critics, says Brady, Gordon …

Review Of George Eliot And The Conflict Of Interpretations: A Reading Of The Novels, David Carroll

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Towards the climax of Felix Holt Esther Lyon moves centre stage. Mist around her own history and that of Transome Court dissolves to reveal a vista of possibilities. The narrator comments: 'Esther found it impossible to read in these days; her life was a book which she seemed to be constructing - trying to make character clear before her, and looking into the ways of destiny'. This lovely sentence might serve as the epigraph to David Carroll's study. A character in a novel, who is well-versed in romance narrative, finds herself an author, 'constructing' the book of her own life, …

Review Of Realist Fiction And The Strolling Spectator, John Rignall

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

The problem of vision, of what the artist or writer sees, is among the most fascinating of the links between literature and painting, which separates them both from music. Vision itself implies something seen which cannot be separated from an inner quality of how it is seen. The I seeing and the eye seeing involves a synthesis which again distinguishes them both from the camera. The presence of this 'magic' which resists analysis has obsessed artists as frequently as critics, and led them to reject what seemed incapable of completion. A poem, according to W.H. Auden, was never finished, only …

Wreath-Laying In The George Eliot Memorial Gardens, Nuneaton

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

We are here this morning to remember a great English novelist, and one of the most formidable intellectuals of her day. It is appropriate that we should do so in Nuneaton, close to South Farm, Arbury, where Mary Ann Evans was born, and also close to Griff, where she grew up. It is right, too, that I should say Mary Ann Evans, for this was her birthplace; the birth of 'George Eliot' took place elsewhere.

But why, it might be asked, should we honour a writer at her place of birth when her adult life, and more importantly, her entire …

George Eliot Fellowship Annual General Meeting- Treasurer's Report

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

From a financial point of view 1990 was an uneventful year with no major items of expenditure. Income from subscriptions showed a small increase over 1989 whereas that from donations was considerably less. This is because, you will recall, in 1989 we made a special appeal to Life Members to which they responded magnificently leading to an exceptionally large "Donation" income in that year.

Of our functions, the Gabriel Woolf readings once again showed an increase in profit but unfortunately the Diamond Jubilee Evening showed a loss. Souvenir Sales gave a healthy profit with the mini-statue of George Eliot and …

Review Of The Mill On The Floss, Michelene Wandor

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

In the radio dramatization of a novel, it is left to the actors to persuade us that they are the individuals whose roles they undertake, but it remains the responsibility of the scriptwriter to select and organize those roles with respect for the overall vision of the originating artist. How well, then, did Radio Four's recent five-episode dramatization of The Mill on the Floss serve George Eliot?

It is axiomatic that, without Maggie Tulliver, there would be no Mill on the Floss; but, in this most autobiographical of George Eliot's novels, it is not Maggie who is omnipresent, but the …

Phonetic Key To The Non-Standard Othography In The Novels Of George Eliot, Maira F. Garcia-Bermejo Giner

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Any writer attempting to represent graphically variant pronunciations is faced with the double problem of being accurate as regards the pronunciation he has in mind and of choosing a spelling easily identifiable with the standard word. As a rule, he will keep most of the normal spelling and alter only the orthography of the syllable pronounced in a different way. The results of this operation should enable the reader to interpret the variant spelling quickly and, at the same time, give him a good idea about how that word sounds in dialect speech. It is not always easy to interpret …

The Painful Challenge Of George Eliot's Epigraph, Mary Carroll

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Through her altruistic epigraph to a painful story, George Eliot suggests that the journey to greater human fellowship often requires a passage through suffering. In The Lifted Veil, Eliot explores the form of pain that shackles sado-masochistic relationships, and the roots of that pain - buried in the misperception that punishment is deserved. This paper will explore Latimer' s attempt to change by moving through his masochistic stance into the sadism which has bound him.

The masochistic need for the sadist is captured by Eliot when she has Latimer moan:

While the heart beats, bruise it - it is your …

Sonnet For George Eliot, Ralph E. Avery

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Great George, when she was youthful Mary Ann,

Strove faithfully to read the mind of God.

At length she sought Him in the soul of Man,

As Trinity’s sweet garden path she trod.

And so with strong, diffusive, voice she sings

The need for each to love his fellow man.

To us her caring soul great comfort brings,

And urges us to do the best we can

To buoy the sinking heart, assuage the wound.

Her passionate art transcends the written word;

True, lasting immortality she’s found;

Sweet echoes of her love can still be heard.

So has she joined …

The Nineteenth George Eliot Memorial Lecture- 1990, Roemary Ashton

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

In July 1990 I finished writing a biography of G.H. Lewes, which will be published by Oxford University Press in September 1991. There could be no better subject to have than Lewes (1817-1878). He is, of course, best remembered as the faithful companion, the husband in fact if not in law, of Marian Evans, the man without whose energy and support she might not have found the courage to become George Eliot. If he had nothing more than this to recommend him, he would still be worthy of our attention. But Lewes has a great deal more than this to …

Songs Of The Spanish Gypsy, Bill Adams

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

One day in May 1873 a curious letter was delivered to the Lewes's London home. Couched in the most formal terms, it read:

Mr. C.V. Stanford presents his compliments to "George Eliot" and hopes he may be excused for troubling him (sic) with the following request. He has lately finished writing music to three songs from "The Spanish Gypsy", namely "Bright Fedalma", "Spring comes hither", and "Came a pretty maid", and hopes eventually to complete the music to the whole subject. He trusts that it may not be thought too much if he asks for permission to publish the songs …

Obituary: Ann Robson- Curator Of Nuneaton Museum And Art Gallery, Ann Robson

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Ann Robson had just passed her 32nd birthday when she died a few days before Christmas 1990. She was born in South Shields in October 1958. She learned to play the piano and was particularly fond of the Christmas carol' Away in a Manager'. The singing of this carol at her memorial service at the end of December was, therefore, particularly poignant. She had a passion for horses, as did so many girls of her generation, and this interest remained with her into her adult life. She was educated at Doncaster Grammar School and in 1977 went to Durham University …

Annual Report 1990

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

The year opened, as it always does, with the least exciting event - the Annual General Meeting. All four officers were re-elected and we also re-elected for a further three year term our supportive and generous President Jonathan Ouvry.

The next event was much more exciting. In April Gabriel Woolf made his 21st annual visit to Warwickshire to present the ever popular programme of Readings from the novels. 'Enter the Aunts' proved to be one of the most popular he has ever done, and his own sense of humour and sensitivity of selection made the most of those wonderful aunts, …

Westminster Abbey Wreath-Laying, Bill Adams

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

It seems incredible that it is now eleven years since the very exciting and moving day in June 1980 when a great congregation of some seven hundred people witnessed the consecration of this memorial to George Eliot. In the years before, the Fellowship Council had to make some momentous decisions. Among the most important was the choice of an inscription for the stone - words which would be on view here in the Abbey to millions of visitors for perhaps hundreds of years into the future. We needed to find a phrase which came as close as possible to an …

The George Eliot Fellowship Review 1991 No. 22, Kathleen Adams, Graham Handley

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Contributions are invited for the 1992 issue. They may be on any subject relating to George Eliot's work, life, family or friends. They should be up to 1500 words in length and it is preferred that footnotes are used only sparingly. Contributions must be typed (double spacing) and should reach the Editors not later than February 28th 1992. Editor's address for 1992 issue: Dr. Graham Handley, Glasgow Stud Farmhouse, Crews Hill, Enfield, Middlesex.

The Editors do not necessarily agree with the views expressed by contributors, nor does the George Eliot Fellowship accept responsibility for such views. No part of the …

Review Of The Presence Of The Present: Topics Of The Day In The Victorian Novel, Richard D. Altick

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Richard D. Altick, Regents' Professor Emeritus of English at The Ohio State University, is well known for such books as Victorian People and Ideas. His latest work draws from 150 novels to develop connections between people, objects, events, and issues mentioned in fiction and their real life originals in the Victorian period. The generous selection of sources includes not only the best remembered novelists but also such writers as Susan Ferrier, John Galt, Samuel Warren, and Charlotte Yonge. All of Eliot's novels except, of course, Romola, are included.

The material is organized into twenty thematic chapters, ranging from popular entertainments …

Review Of Meriden: Its People And Houses Part 1, Doreen M.K. Agutter

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

This publication, said to be 'the first book ever written about Meriden', has come to our attention because of 'The George Eliot Connection' and because it was researched and written by a member of the George Eliot Fellowship. The historical research, dating back to the Middle Ages, is very thorough, and there are numerous photographs, plans and maps. The prose is somewhat breathless, as if copious notes have been written up with great rapidity, and this impairs its clarity. There are some errors in proof: the Clarkes, not the Evanses, must have been living at The Cottage in 1850. The …

Message Of Greeting From The Fellowship President, Jonathan G. Ouvry

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

This year I write my annual greeting to the Fellowship between two very special occasions. Last June we celebrated in Westminster Abbey the Tenth Anniversary of the unveiling of the Memorial Stone. The occasion was made particularly memorable by the participation of Dean Edward Carpenter (now retired) who had taken such an active and positive part in the original installation of the stone. As on past occasions he gave a fascinating, scholarly and apparently quite spontaneous gem of a talk, for which we were and are most grateful.

The second special occasion, to which I am looking forward with what …

Technology And Development: Opposition To The Railway In Middlemarch, Paul H. Lorenz

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

In Book 6 (chapter 56) of Middlemarch, George Eliot presents a scene in which the citizens of the hamlet of Frick set upon a group of railway surveyors, "the enemies of mankind”, with hayforks. The surveyors escape with their lives only through the intervention of Caleb Garth and Fred Vincy. This incident allows Eliot to discuss the attitudes of the working classes towards the technological developments of the Industrial Revolution and to contrast these attitudes with those of the middle class. While middle class women "regarded travelling by steam as presumptuous and dangerous", the local landowners, who had the vote …

Audio Cassette Review, Ruth Harris, Gabriel Woolf

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

Gabriel WooIf' s second cassette of readings from George Eliot begins and ends with her poetry. However we assess the value of her poems, there can be no doubt that they raise issues that were fundamental to her. Nor can there be any doubt that the poetry is illuminated for us by the voice of the reader. His tenderly nostalgic interpretation of the Brother and Sister sequence is enlivened by glints of humour as George Eliot describes her devoted dependence on her "little man / Of forty inches", or reveals her excitement when she catches the' 'silver perch" - her …

Review Of Approaches To Teaching Eliot's 'Midddlemarch', Kathleen Blake

The George Eliot Review Online, ISSN: 2831-5375

The editor quotes Gilbert Highet, who wrote 'Bad teaching wastes a great deal of effort, and spoils many lives which might have been full of energy and happiness'. Salutary words indeed, but what about those people who seem to have thought too much about it (Highet suggests that bad teaching results from not thinking enough about it) and too self-consciously at that? This book is a curious mixture of interesting and practical ideas on the one hand and inflated intellectual selfindulgence on the other. Kathleen Blake's introduction summarises the main concerns of the book and its trends. Here is an …