George Eliot (1819–1880)
Author of Middlemarch
About the Author
George Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans on a Warwickshire farm in England, where she spent almost all of her early life. She received a modest local education and was particularly influenced by one of her teachers, an extremely religious woman whom the novelist would later use as a model for various show more characters. Eliot read extensively, and was particularly drawn to the romantic poets and German literature. In 1849, after the death of her father, she went to London and became assistant editor of the Westminster Review, a radical magazine. She soon began publishing sketches of country life in London magazines. At about his time Eliot began her lifelong relationship with George Henry Lewes. A married man, Lewes could not marry Eliot, but they lived together until Lewes's death. Eliot's sketches were well received, and soon after she followed with her first novel, Adam Bede (1859). She took the pen name "George Eliot" because she believed the public would take a male author more seriously. Like all of Eliot's best work, The Mill on the Floss (1860), is based in large part on her own life and her relationship with her brother. In it she begins to explore male-female relations and the way people's personalities determine their relationships with others. She returns to this theme in Silas Mariner (1861), in which she examines the changes brought about in life and personality of a miser through the love of a little girl. In 1863, Eliot published Romola. Set against the political intrigue of Florence, Italy, of the 1490's, the book chronicles the spiritual journey of a passionate young woman. Eliot's greatest achievement is almost certainly Middlemarch (1871). Here she paints her most detailed picture of English country life, and explores most deeply the frustrations of an intelligent woman with no outlet for her aspirations. This novel is now regarded as one of the major works of the Victorian era and one of the greatest works of fiction in English. Eliot's last work was Daniel Deronda. In that work, Daniel, the adopted son of an aristocratic Englishman, gradually becomes interested in Jewish culture and then discovers his own Jewish heritage. He eventually goes to live in Palestine. Because of the way in which she explored character and extended the range of subject matter to include simple country life, Eliot is now considered to be a major figure in the development of the novel. She is buried in Highgate Cemetery, North London, England, next to her common-law husband, George Henry Lewes. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Works by George Eliot
The Best-Known Novels of George Eliot: Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Romola (1777) 103 copies
Silas Marner / The Lifted Veil / Brother Jacob / Scenes of Clerical Life (1880) — Author — 15 copies
Romola / Silas Marner — Author — 9 copies
Romola (1/3) 9 copies
Romola (3/3) 8 copies
Romola (2/3) 8 copies
Scenes of Clerical Life (2/2) — Author — 8 copies
George Eliot Six Pack - Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, Silas Marner, The Lifted Veil, The Mill on the Floss and Adam Bede (2014) 7 copies
Daniel Deronda, Volume 1 of 3 7 copies
[unidentified works] 7 copies
Reading & Training : George Eliot : The mill on the Floss [book + sound recording] (2007) — Writer — 6 copies
Eliot's works 5 copies
Impressions of Theophrastus Such: Essays and Leaves from a Notebook and Poetical Works (1900) 5 copies
Reading & Training : George Eliot : Silas Marner [book + sound recording] (2003) — Writer — 5 copies
Daniel Deronda, Volume 2 of 3 5 copies
Middlemarch (BBC Radio Collection) 4 copies
Gems from George Eliot 4 copies
Novels of George Eliot 4 copies
The Works of George Eliot: Vol. I - Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Romola; Vol. II -- Middlemarch: A Study of… (1890) 4 copies
Works of George Eliot. The Mill on the Floss, Daniel Deronda, Adam Bede, Middlemarch, The Lifted Veil & more. (mobi) (2008) 3 copies
The Essays of ''George Eliot'' 3 copies
The Mill on the Floss / Romola — Author — 3 copies
De gitaar van Renaissance tot rock : de klassieke gitaar, de flamencogitaar, de gitaar in Latijns-Amerika,… (1979) 3 copies
Adam Bede | Felix Holt 3 copies
George Eliot: Complete Collection of Works with analysis and historical background (Annotated and Illustrated)… (2013) 3 copies
El molino 3 copies
Scenes From a Clerical Life -- The Life of George Eliot (The Works of George Eliot in Twelve Volumes, Volume 4) (1883) 3 copies
George Eliot's Daniel Deronda: Abridged — Author — 3 copies
The Complete Works of George Eliot: St. James Edition:; Volume VI:; Middlemarch Part III, Silas Marner, and Daniel… (1908) 3 copies
Miscellaneous Essays ; Impressions of Theophrastus Such ; The Lifted Veil ; Brother Jacob (1901) 2 copies
Masterpieces from George Eliot 2 copies
Middlemarch | Romola 2 copies
The Sad Fortunes of Rev. Amos Barton, Brother Jacob, the Lifted Veil, Impressions of Theophrastus Such (1887) 2 copies
Works 2 copies
Scenes of Clerical Life, Silas Marner, Adam Bede (Harper's Fireside Edition, Volume 1, 1885) 2 copies
Works of George Eliot, Vol. XVII 2 copies
The Mill on the Floss - Intermediate 2 copies
George Eliot's Works: Adam Bede/Daniel Deronda/Felix Holt and Clerical Life/Middlemarch/Mill on the Floss/Romola (6… (1914) 2 copies
Theophrastus Such / The Spanish Gypsy — Author — 2 copies
The Mill on the Floss / Scenes of Clerical Life — Author — 2 copies
The George Eliot BBC Radio Drama Collection: Five Full-Cast Dramatisations Including Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss… (2020) 2 copies
Đ ł Ơ ư æ 1 copy
Daniel Deronda. Vol II 1 copy
Masterpieces of George Eliot 1 copy
Slias Marner Etc. 1 copy
¤ ¤ ¤ ILLUSTRATED ¤ ¤ ¤ Middlemarch, by George Eliot - NEW Illustrated Classics 2011 Edition (FULLY… 1 copy
Middlemarch. NOVEL (1871) by: George Eliot. (pen name of Mary Ann Evans) ( It was first published in 1871 to 1872.) (2016) 1 copy
Six Pack 1 copy
Romola: A Novel 1 copy
George Elliot Works: 7 books - Middlemarch, Adam Bede, Daniel Deronda, Romola, Impressions of Theophrastus Such...,… (1897) 1 copy
The Mill on the Floss 1 copy
דניאל דירונדה 1 copy
Silas Marner 1 copy
Armgart 1 copy
Brother and Sister Sonnets 1 copy
Middlemarch D. 2 1 copy
Middlemarch D. 1 1 copy
Notes on Form in Art 1 copy
The Antigone and Its Moral 1 copy
Thomas Carlyle [essay] 1 copy
Translations and Translators 1 copy
Middlemarch. Vol.2 1 copy
A Sketch of George Eliot by C Kegan Paul; Essays; Leaves from a Notebook; Poems; Brother Jacob; The Lifted Veil; A… (1885) 1 copy
Do You Lose Your Temper? 1 copy
Silas Marner; the Lifted Veil, Brother Jacob; the Impressions of Theophrastus Such & Poems (1920) 1 copy
George Eliot's Complete Works - Silas Marner/Spanish Gypsy/Complete Poems (Illustrated) (1908) 1 copy
The Complete Works of George Eliot: St. James Edition:; Volume VII:; Daniel Deronda Parts II and III (1908) 1 copy
The Writings of George Eliot Together with the Life of J. W. Cross in Twenty-Five Volumes: Warwickshire Edition (1907) 1 copy
Poems. Clerical Life 1 copy
Wise, Witty, and Tender Sayings in Prose and Verse; Selected From the Works of George Eliot (2012) 1 copy
Essays, Volume II 1 copy
Essays, Volume I 1 copy
The Story of Little Tom and Maggie: from The Mill on the Floss of George Eliot (Famous Children of Literature) (1903) 1 copy
Silas Marner | Poems 1 copy
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe — Amos Barton (from Scenes of Clerical Life) — The Lifted Veil 1 copy
The Complete Works of George Eliot: St. James Edition:; Volume II:; The Mill on the Floss, Brother Jacob, and Leaves… (1908) 1 copy
George Eliot Collection: The Complete Novels, Short Stories, Poems and Essays (Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, Scenes of… (2018) 1 copy
The Spanish Gypsy and Other Poems. Scenes of Clerical Life, Adam Bede, Romola, Felix Holt The Radical., Daniel Deronda,… (1920) 1 copy
Mill on the Floss, Volume 3 1 copy
Great work of George Eliot 1 copy
George Eliot Works: Silas Marner / The Lifted Veil / Brother Jacob and Scenes of Clerical Life (1890) 1 copy
THE BEST-KNOWN NOVELS OF GEORGE ELIOT. Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, Silas Maner, Romola (1946) 1 copy
The Mill on the Floss (Complete All Books) : Classic Edition With Original Illustrations (2020) 1 copy
George Eliot's Works 5 Volumes Romola,The Mill On The Floss,Middlemarch,Daniel Deronda,Felix Holt (1891) 1 copy
Biographie 1 copy
Famous Women 1 copy
Golden Grain 1 copy
The Complete Novels of George Eliot - All 9 Novels in One Edition: Adam Bede, The Lifted Veil, The Mill on the Floss,… (2017) 1 copy
Merrill's English texts 1 copy
George Eliot's Works / The Complete Works of George Eliot - Impressions of Theophrastus Such - Miscellaneous Essays… (1910) 1 copy
Silas Marner (abridged) 1 copy
Associated Works
The Essence of Christianity (1841) — Translator, some editions; Translator, some editions — 884 copies
The Graphic Canon, Vol. 2: From "Kubla Khan" to the Bronte Sisters to The Picture of Dorian Gray (2012) — Contributor — 183 copies
The Life of Jesus Critically Examined (1898) — Translator, some editions; Translator, some editions — 117 copies
The Darker Sex: Tales of the Supernatural and Macabre by Victorian Women Writers (2009) — Contributor — 48 copies
The Lifted Veil: The Book of Fantastic Literature by Women 1800-World War II (1806) — Contributor — 42 copies
Out of the Best Books: An Anthology of Literature, Vol. 3: Intelligent Family Living (1967) — Contributor — 33 copies
The Gentlewomen of Evil: An Anthology of Rare Supernatural Stories from the Pens of Victorian Ladies, (1967) — Contributor — 28 copies
Weird Women: Volume 2: 1840-1925: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers (2) (2021) — Contributor — 26 copies
Jane Eyre/ Wuthering Heights/ Little Women/ Adam Bede/ Emma/ Pride and Prejudice (2001) — Contributor — 15 copies
A Serious Occupation: Literary Criticism by Victorian Women Writers (2003) — Contributor — 12 copies
The Banned Books Compendium: 32 Classic Forbidden Books — Contributor — 9 copies
10 Penguin Classics on 45 CDs (The Mayor of Casterbridge, Pride & Prejudice, Great Expectations, Frankenstein, Jane… (2007) — Contributor; Contributor — 9 copies
The Origins of Science Fiction (Oxford World's Classics Hardback Collection) (2022) — Contributor — 8 copies
Romance Classics: Jane Eyre / Mansfield Park / Lorna Doone / Far from the Madding Crowd / Middlemarch / Agnes Grey (1928) — Contributor — 4 copies
A Reader for Writers — Contributor — 2 copies
ESSENTIAL COLLECTION OF CLASSIC BANNED BOOKS: Adam Bede, Fanny Hill, Candide, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The… — Contributor — 2 copies
English short stories of the nineteenth century — Contributor — 1 copy
90 Masterpieces You Must Read (Vol.1): Novels, Poetry, Plays, Short Stories, Essays, Psychology & Philosophy (2020) — Contributor — 1 copy
Adam Bede: A Play — Author — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Eliot, George
- Legal name
- Evans, Mary Ann
- Other names
- Evans, Marian
Cross, Mary Anne - Birthdate
- 1819-11-22
- Date of death
- 1880-12-22
- Burial location
- Highgate Cemetery, London, England, UK
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- UK
- Country (for map)
- England, UK
- Birthplace
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, UK
- Place of death
- London, England, UK
- Cause of death
- throat infection
- Places of residence
- Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, UK
London, England, UK - Education
- Mrs. Wallington's School (Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, UK)
- Occupations
- novelist
editor - Relationships
- Lewes, George Henry (husband)
Cross, J. W. (husband)
Hennell, Sara (friend)
Spencer, Herbert (friend)
Evans, Gwyn (great-nephew) - Short biography
- Mary Ann Evans (22 November 1819 – 22 December 1880; alternatively Mary Anne or Marian, known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrote seven novels, Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Romola (1862–63), Felix Holt, the Radical (1866), Middlemarch (1871–72) and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of which are set in provincial England and known for their realism and psychological insight.
Although female authors were published under their own names during her lifetime, she wanted to escape the stereotype of women's writing being limited to lighthearted romances. She also wanted to have her fiction judged separately from her already extensive and widely known work as an editor and critic. Another factor in her use of a pen name may have been a desire to shield her private life from public scrutiny, thus avoiding the scandal that would have arisen because of her relationship with the married George Henry Lewes.
Middlemarch has been described by the novelists Martin Amis[3] and Julian Barnes as the greatest novel in the English language. Published under the name J. T. Colgan.
Members
Discussions
Group read: Curious, If True by Elizabeth Gaskell / The Lifted Veil by George Eliot in Virago Modern Classics (January 28)
Victorian Readalong Q4: Middlemarch by George Eliot in Club Read 2022 (December 2022)
George Eliot and George Henry Lewes in Legacy Libraries (March 2022)
March 2021: George Eliot in Monthly Author Reads (February 2022)
Group Read: Middlemarch, Second Thread in 75 Books Challenge for 2010 (October 2018)
Middlemarch: The Chatty Bits (Spoilers Go Here) in The Green Dragon (March 2015)
Group Read, September 2014: The Mill on the Floss in 1001 Books to read before you die (September 2014)
Middlemarch Group Read 2014 in 75 Books Challenge for 2014 (August 2014)
Middlemarch group read in 2014 Category Challenge (April 2014)
Daniel Deronda in Geeks who love the Classics (April 2013)
Group Read: Middlemarch, Third Thread in 75 Books Challenge for 2010 (February 2011)
Group Read: Middlemarch in 75 Books Challenge for 2010 (November 2010)
***Group Read: Middlemarch Books 7-8 in 1001 Books to read before you die (September 2010)
***Group Read: Middlemarch Books 5-6 in 1001 Books to read before you die (August 2010)
***Group Read: Middlemarch Books 3-4 in 1001 Books to read before you die (August 2010)
***Group Read: Middlemarch Prelude & Books 1-2 in 1001 Books to read before you die (August 2010)
Middlemarch in Victoriana (December 2009)
Middlemarch: Book I in Group Reads - Literature (May 2008)
Middlemarch (Spoilers Here) in Connecticut Nutmeggers (March 2008)
Middlemarch (SPOILER FREE) in Connecticut Nutmeggers (August 2007)
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