Published in 1859, George Eliot’s first full-length novel, Adam Bede, became an instant bestseller. The identity of this mysterious new male literary star initially caused plenty of debate, until, to the surprise of many, it came to light that Adam Bede’s author was, in fact, a woman named Mary Ann (later spelled Marian) Evans.
Born in November 1819, Evans was educated at a succession of girls’ boarding schools in her native Warwickshire until her mother’s death in 1836. She then returned home to act as her father’s housekeeper in Coventry and seemed destined to lead a life of quiet domesticity, so characteristic of the Victorian era’s middle-class women, until her introduction to a wealthy couple named Charles and Cara Bray. The pair were known for their unusually progressive views on social reform and religion and attracted many like-minded liberal thinkers to their Coventry home of Rosehill.
During time spent at Rosehill, Mary Ann Evans met the people who encouraged her to embrace a radical new way of life. One such individual was London publisher John Chapman. Following her father’s death in 1849, she moved to the capital, where she lodged with Chapman and became assistant editor of his radical periodical, The Westminster Review.
Two years later, Evans began a relationship with a married author named George Henry Lewes, whose wife was already involved in a longstanding extra-marital affair. In June 1854, 34-year-old Evans set sail for Germany with Lewes, where they set up home together. Upon returning to the UK a year later, the couple were treated as social outcasts, with even close family members refusing to associate with them because of their adulterous relationship. Unabashed, the pair continued their relationship, effectively living as man and wife for over two decades.
George Eliot’s seven novels proved to be every bit as original, groundbreaking and unconventional as the author herself. Dealing with hard-hitting topics like social injustice, individual freedom of choice and the complexities of the human mind, they remain her greatest achievement. Despite her real identity coming to light shortly after the publication of Adam Bede, she continued to use the same male pen name for all her novels. This decision may well have reflected her desire to be taken seriously as a writer, but also the continued use of the pseudonym proved useful in ensuring that her work was not associated with the scandal attached to her relationship with Lewes.
There’s no better time to explore the work of this pioneering 19th-century author than during Women’s History Month. Here is a guide to all seven of her novels, listed in order of their original publication.
Adam Bede
Described in an early review as a “novel of the highest class” (The Athenaeum), George Eliot’s compelling tale of love, deception and betrayal in the heart of the English countryside has entranced readers ever since. Set at the end of the 18th century in the fictional small rural community of Hayslope, her evocative debut novel recalls a way of life that had already all but disappeared by the time of its publication.
The plot revolves around a love triangle involving the village carpenter, Adam Bede, a milkmaid named Hetty Sorrel and the local squire’s son, Arthur Donnithorne. Bede has long harbored romantic feelings for the naïve milkmaid, but the ambitious Hetty has dreams of bettering her social position and so begins an illicit affair with the local squire’s son. The catastrophic consequences of this ill-advised relationship are destined to send shockwaves around the entire local community, but especially for the three main protagonists whose lives are changed forever.
The Mill on the Floss
Inspired by George Eliot’s own experiences of provincial life, the passionate and free-spirited heroine of The Mill on the Floss, Maggie Tulliver, bears more than a passing resemblance to the author herself.
Growing up at Dorlcote Mill on the River Floss, siblings Maggie and Tom Tulliver enjoy an exceptionally close relationship. Maggie displays an insatiable thirst for knowledge from an early age but finds herself continually having to take second place to her elder brother, who is the male heir to the family business. As Maggie reaches adulthood, her search for love and self-fulfillment eventually leads her into direct conflict with those whom she holds most dear, including her beloved brother. Forced to choose between duty and desire, she is only finally given the opportunity to reconcile with Tom when tragedy strikes.
Silas Marner
In the shortest of her full-length novels, George Eliot tells the poignant story of Silas Marner, a handloom linen weaver who loses everything when he is wrongly accused of theft. He is forced to flee his former home and job, eventually settling in the small rural village of Raveloe. Marner becomes a reclusive figure, obsessed only with hoarding the gold coins he makes from his work. Then disaster strikes and the unfortunate weaver looks set to lose his livelihood all over again, only for redemption to come in the unlikely form of an orphaned child.
Set in the vanished rural world of the early 19th century, Eliot’s inspiring tale of hope and redemption, even in the most unfortunate of circumstances, is notable for its underlying social commentary on a range of issues close to the author’s own heart.
Romola
Leaving behind the familiar setting of her native Warwickshire, Eliot turns to the turbulent world of 15th-century Renaissance Florence as inspiration for her fourth novel. The author made several trips to Florence whilst writing the novel, which she described as “having been written with my best blood”.
The dutiful daughter of a blind scholar, Romola marries Tito, a relative newcomer to the city, just as the powerful Medici family is being expelled from Florence. When the radical religious reformer, Girolamo Savonarola, rises to power, her husband becomes an influential figure in the new regime. However, Romola comes to realize that Tito is not quite who he seems. Faced with compelling evidence of his duplicitous nature, she is forced to make a life-changing decision that will eventually lead to her intellectual and spiritual awakening.
Felix Holt, The Radical
Felix Holt, The Radical is set against the backdrop of the 1832 Reform Act, which allowed men from Britain’s growing middle class to vote for the first time. Eliot’s 1866 novel offers plenty of fascinating insights into her own views on 19th-century British politics.
Wealthy local landowner Harold Transome returns home to the small Midlands town of Treby after a long absence overseas and decides to stand for Parliament in the forthcoming election. He is expected to follow his family’s long Tory tradition but instead surprisingly opts to stand as a Radical. As a result, Transome finds himself compared unfavorably to his rival Felix Holt, an idealistic local working-class man whose support for the radical cause appears more authentic. Alongside their political battle, the two men also end up competing for the heart of a local clergyman’s daughter, Esther, who is forced to decide whether she wishes to follow her heart or her mind.
Middlemarch
Subtitled A Study of Provincial Life, Middlemarch was famously described by later literary great, Virginia Woolf, as “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people”. Through her deceptively simple portrayal of life in an unexceptional small Midlands town of the 1830s, George Eliot provides a vivid and insightful analysis into the complexity of human relationships and the impact of social change on Victorian society.
Dorothea Brooke’s desire for intellectual growth leads her into an emotionally unfulfilling marriage to the cleric and scholar, Edward Casaubon, who is 26 years her senior. As he becomes increasingly obsessed with his own failing academic ambitions, Dorothea turns to his idealistic cousin, Will Ladislaw, for emotional support. Meanwhile, the town’s progressive young doctor, Tertius Lydgate, is trapped in his own unhappy marriage to Rosamond, a social climber who is intent on exploiting his ambitious career plans for her own ends. As the novel progresses, the idealistic Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate are both compelled to make difficult choices when faced with the harsh realities of day-to-day existence.
Daniel Deronda
Eliot’s last completed novel was published in 1876, four years before her death, and is notable for being the only one to be set in her own era. The novelist provides plenty of typically insightful commentary into the repressive nature of Victorian society, and breaks new ground in her portrayal of the controversial late 19th-century Zionist movement.
Intent on enhancing her social standing, the free-spirited Gwendolen Harleth makes a disastrous marriage to the cold-hearted aristocrat, Henleigh Grandcourt. In contrast, Daniel Deronda, who was adopted and raised as an English gentleman, embarks on a spiritual quest to discover more about his roots. The pair meet by chance in the unlikely setting of a hotel casino in Germany and thereafter Gwendolen comes to rely on the altruistic Daniel for emotional support. After meeting a Jewish woman named Mirah, Daniel is increasingly drawn into the Jewish community, but, as a result of his cultural awakening, Gwendolen is left to fight her personal demons alone.
Sources: 19, Encyclopedia Britannica
