2023: I read this over a couple hours last night as I'm trying to make my reading goal for the year. I think I appreciated it a little more this time and am a little embarrassed at my sanctimonious tone in 2012. I might reread tonight... or at least look over some parts again. I had a bit of a difficult time, in parts. Still growing that reading comprehension!

2012: The first few pages of this book really grabbed me. The mystery behind Latimer's clairvoyant vision, the anticipation of how he got to the place he was... I was sure this would be a well-written and concise tale since it is only about 65 pages long.

I was right---it was well-written. However, I didn't enjoy it. I think it's just not something I would have been interesting in reading had I known the subject matter: A rude, feministic woman whose ultimate purpose didn't surprise me (I'd figured that out shortly into the book). A man obsessed with twisted perceptions of his brother's fiance. I don't know--it's just not my thing.

What I DID come away with was some food for thought regarding the negative side of "clairvoyancy". In the Christian faith, we call that the gift of prophecy or the gift of discernment. Other people call this, ESP. As one who has a strong gift of discernment, I have actually found myself, just this week, in a situation where I know more than I wish I did. I've known for years about a situation that has just recently happened. It can be hard to see that coming; but, if you're one who prays, it can be a blessing as you can cover the situation in prayer and hope for a better outcome.

Anyway, that was sort of a tangent... :)

While I'm glad I read this, since I've been trying to read more "Classics", it's not one that I would likely read again. ( )

This is a change of pace for George Eliot. Written when many were fascinated by spiritualism, she creates a telepathic and clairvoyant protagonist. Written in the first person, the character makes it clear that these are not talents to be wished for. Perfect reading for a dark and stormy night. ( )

Eliot is one of my favorite authors (along with Hardy) and this small novella did not disappoint. Unlike Eliot's other works that I have read, this novella was told by a first person unreliable narrator. It had almost a gothic feel. The narrator had the "gift" of premonitions and could read other's thoughts. Marriage is addressed in this novel very bleakly. A lot going on in this novella, but I liked it! 101 pages ( )

*This is a review of the Penguin Little Black Classics edition of "The Lifted Veil"*

This short volume includes two texts: The essay "Silly Novels by Lady Novelists", which was published in the Westminster Review, and the novella "The Lifted Veil". I read the essay first although in the book it comes second.

In her essay, George Eliot cleverly analyzes the different kinds of 'silly novels' written by contemporary female writers. She criticizes them for various reasons, her main points being the following:
- These writers only write about the upper classes and either completely ignore ordinary people, or if they do include them, they depict them badly or falsely because they do not know anything about their lives.
- They do a disservice to 'serious writers' (Eliot names Charlotte Brontë and Elizabeth Gaskell as examples) because on the one hand they take up much of the spotlight that the others also need, and on the other hand, because they provide more fodder to those men who are of the opinion that women are not able to write.
There are many more aspects in the essay, but these were the ones that stood out most to me. I am not going to write more because then I will just repeat the whole essay.

The novella "The Lifted Veil" is fundamentally gothic. I have not a lot of experience with gothic texts - I have read a few, but without realizing what they really were, and have not read any for a long time - but I did like it.
The narrator, Latimer, a sickly young man and younger son of a wealthy banker and land owner, falls in love with a beautiful woman when he discovers that he has the gift of foresight. It turns out, though, that it is not a gift at all, but it troubles him with no end.
Again, I will not write more because otherwise all the surprises would be gone. It is a very short novella, but it has a few turning points and different parts to it. The underlying suspense and unease is strong and makes for a chilling and depressing read. I was intrigued but of course it is unusual for George Eliot. ( )

I completely forgot that I had read this book until I saw the same exact edition that I used to own in a charity shop. I can only guess what year that was. Interestingly, I don't recall these Virago Modern Classics being so ubiquitous in the US where I grew up. Not entirely sure where I got it from back then.

Anyway, the story has been sort of lurking in my mind, mostly forgotten, since then. I'm reading it for a class again, and there is so much to pull apart in this surprisingly short book. ( )