George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, was a Victorian novelist known for works like 'Middlemarch' and 'The Mill on the Floss'. Her writing, which includes novels, short stories, and poetry, delves into themes of human psychology, societal norms, and morality. Eliot's life, her partnership with George Henry Lewes, and her use of a male pseudonym to avoid gender biases in her time, all contributed to her legacy as a leading figure in English literature.
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George Eliot was born as Mary Ann Evans on November 22, 1819, in Warwickshire, England, and had a comfortable upbringing with access to literature
Extensive Education
Despite being a woman in the Victorian era, Evans received an extensive education, which greatly influenced her future writings
Exposure to Literature
Evans' early exposure to literature through her father's job as an estate manager greatly influenced her future writings
To ensure her work was judged on its own merits and to separate her personal and professional life, Evans adopted the male pseudonym George Eliot
Evans began her writing career by contributing to the Westminster Review and later adopted the pseudonym George Eliot, publishing her first novel "Adam Bede" in 1859
Despite Lewes being married, his intellectual companionship and support encouraged Evans to write fiction and led to their union in 1854
After Lewes' death, Evans married John Cross in 1880, but their marriage was brief as she passed away later that year
Published in 1860, this novel explores themes of sibling relationships, societal pressures, and gender roles through the tragic story of Maggie and Tom Tulliver
Considered her masterpiece, this novel is a realistic portrayal of life in a small English town and delves into themes of marriage, societal expectations, and personal faith
Scenes of Clerical Life
This collection of short stories explores themes of love, loss, and religious contemplation through the lives of clergymen and their parishioners
Poetry
While less celebrated than her prose, Eliot's poetry also engages with themes of spirituality and humanism, exemplified by her poem "The Choir Invisible."