The Poetry of George Eliot

Written by George Eliot

Narrated by Ghizela Rowe

Poetry is a fascinating use of language. With almost a million words at its command it is not surprising that these Isles have produced some of the most beautiful, moving and descriptive verse through the centuries. In this series we look at individual poets who have shaped and influenced their craft and cement their place in our heritage. In this volume we look at the works of the Victorian Authoress and Poet George Eliot. Mary Anne Evans was born in 1819. Her Father did not consider her a great beauty and thought her chances of marriage were slim. He therefore invested in her education and by the time she was 16 she had boarded at several schools acquiring a good education. With the death of her mother in 1835 she returned home to keep house for her father and siblings. By 1850 she had moved to London to work at the Westminster Review where she published many articles and essays. The following year Mary Anne or Marian, as she liked to be called, had met George Henry Lewes, and in 1854 they moved in together; a somewhat scandalous situation as he was already married albeit with complications. Her view on literature had taken some time to coalescence but with the publication of parts of Scenes From A Clerical Life in 1858 she knew she wanted to be a novelist and as her 1856 titled essay “Silly Novels by Lady Novelists" stated not a ‘silly woman’s one at that. Under the pseudonym of George Eliot that we know so well Adam Bede followed in 1859 followed by the other great novels of English literature Mill On The Floss, Silas Marner and Middlemarch. Success of course meant that her real name came out but it seemed not to affect how the public devoured her novels. Here, we look with a keen eye at her poetry. Although slim in number she is able to take a situation, scene or thought and bring us into its world with undeniable care.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Copyright Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2014
• ISBN: 9781780004181

George Eliot

George Eliot (1819–1880), born Mary Ann Evans, was an English writer best known for her poetry and novels. She grew up in a conservative environment where she received a Christian education. An avid reader, Eliot expanded her horizons on religion, science and free thinkers. Her earliest writings included an anonymous English translation of The Life of Jesus in 1846 before embracing a career as a fiction writer. Some of her most notable works include Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss(1860) and Silas Marner.

Reviews for The Poetry of George Eliot

[drt_4 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Title and author: Adam Bede (1859) by George Eliot. Reviewed 4/29/23Why I picked this book up: I opened this book because it was the first in The Banned Books Compendium: 32 Classic Forbidden Books.Thoughts: George Eliot is a pen name of Mary Ann Evans, an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. She wrote seven novels: Adam Bede, Silas Marner, and others. I did not know George Eliot as a pen name for a female author. I never heard of this book before so for me if was new in multiple ways. Even though it went with the era I didn’t like the language much.Why I finished this read: This author did a really good job IMO, of creating characters, symbolism, roles, power, a beautiful girl, it starts with flirtation, selfishness and crisis of faith and tragedy. There is a dynamic of characters, desires, decisions, legal consequences and death I cannot condone and probably the reason for it beings banned which contributed to my low star rating . Stars rating: Although I disagree with the decision in this book. I know millions of babies are aborted in the US NOT to saying this book had that I will rate this story at a 1.5 stars. Although the story was well written the decision sickened me and I really do not see that decision made in this book could have been made in my life.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another Eliot novel I enjoyed just fine, but which didn't come anywhere near the excellence of Middlemarch. Very good, though, in its depiction of rural life, and with some quite funny moments too.

[burritapal · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately, trying to interpret the dialect gets in the way of enjoying the story.

[adrianburke_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Did not believe Dinah. Otherwise thoroughly enjoyed. Nearly packed it in when her sermon custard-pied the opening chapter!!

[sparemethecensor · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Adam Bede was a really slow read for me. I would say overall I liked it but it's kind of a slog. There are some stunningly beautiful turns of phrase in describing rural life. I also found it interesting to see that contemporaneous view of the protestant work ethic invading everyday life. At the same time, I found some of the plot points (for instance, Dinah's sudden marriage) kind of dumb and out of character. Dunno, maybe it just wasn't for me at this time of my life. As a note, I think that Daniel Deronda is a masterwork so it's not Eliot generally. I love DD -- it has so much depth and complexity, plus it's just a great story. I didn't see the same in Adam Bede.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adam Bede, was the first novel by Mary Ann Evans, and was published in 1859.I read this as part of 1001 Books and TBR takedown. It was an enjoyable story of the 19th century. According to wikipedia, this story is founded on the life of the author's aunt who was a female preacher. I enjoyed the calm, peacefulness of this story of human life. I enjoyed the characterization of Adam, Arthur, Hettie and Diane. I thought the characters were real. It covers such items as infantacide, women preachers. It has a rural setting. Everything ends well and that makes the novel unbelievable in the scheme of things.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Adam Bede is a classic that reads even better after many years.Unlike Wuthering Heights, which overflows with meanness and cruelty and not the remembered passion,George Eliot's first book still flows into a compelling story of love sorrowfully lost. Characters and locale,as well as dogs and food, are finely revealed.Okay, this doesn't make Dinah's speeches any less insufferable or guide Hetty away from increasingly awful thinking.And when, aside from Vixen, did sex occur? Does a dropped handkerchief signify seduction?

[benuathanasia · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank god for sparknotes. While I enjoy Eliot and liked the story presented here, god forbid my attention wandered for a moment, I found myself completely lost. This is another book I'll have to re-read at a later date to thoroughly appreciate since I believe I would have enjoyed it more had I paid closer attention the first time.

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Finely captured snapshot of rural life in England. More believable characters than other Victorian fiction.Read Mar 2007

[joansdavis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Accurate rendering of English pastoral life, realistic irrevocable consequences of human actions and on moral growth and redemption through suffering. This edition includes good historical notes, a glossary of old English, and a reading group guide which I found very helpful.

[katiebrugger-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Scarlet Letter written by a woman. Eliot addresses the horror of an unmarried woman getting pregnant amidst the good countryfolk of Britain in 1799.

I like George Eliot because, in my opinion, her characters are more complex than those of other female writers such as Jane Austen or the Bronte sisters. As much as I like The Scarlet Letter, I prefer Adam Bede because there is repentance and growth in Eliot's characters.

I felt the desire to be a better person after reading this book, perhaps the first time this has ever occurred to me on finishing a novel. And it was a complex better person, made up of bits and pieces of all the characters.

[raschneid_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So much I could say, but it's probably been said elsewhere by someone less sleepy. Totally compelling and thought-provoking themes of the relationship between intelligence and moral judgment, gender and power, and human nature. Also wonderfully rendered characters, extreme drama, and general awesomeness.

Stylistically, it kept surprising me with the beauty of its prose, particularly its descriptions of the characters' inner lives. I also really, really enjoyed the northern English dialect, which is something, because usually dialect makes readers run away in fear. Generally I thought it did a superb job of portraying a small farm community without falling into pastoral cliche. Certain books entitled Tess of the D'Urbervilles had made me assume that I did not like pastoral novels, but in fact in turns out that I simply do not like annoying pastoral novels.

Eliot's first full-length novel, and one of her best that I've read so far. If I was going to criticize it, I would say that the ending was too tidy, but everything did fit together with a pleasing logic. Also, all Dinah's religious speeches were a bit much, but considering that Eliot was agnostic, I don't think she was trying to be preachy.

Of all her books I think I will look most forward to rereading this one.

[bduke_15 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I believe this may be the most beautiful book I have ever read. I felt both uplifted and emotionally drained when I finished. The tragedy and the great beauty of George Eliot's writing! I didn't read this edition, mine was much older, but the introduction of my edition quoted Charles Dickens as saying that reading Adam Bede was an epoch in his life, and Alexandre Dumas called it the masterpiece of the century. I'm happy to agree with them. Most people say that Middlemarch is George Eliot's masterpiece. That was tragic and beautiful as well, but I was so much more drawn into the character's of Adam Bede. I loved them all (even Hetty) because even though they may have made bad choices, we were allowed to see things from their perspective and gain an understanding of why they did what they did. I love that about George Eliot. Dickens' characters sometimes seem almost like caricatures because they are either so good or so evil. I appreciate the humanity of Eliot. In fact, I understood Arthur Donnithorne all too well. He so wants to be a good person and have people think well of him, and yet he is weak when it really matters. This is a silly analogy, but I decided to make chocolate chip cookies one day while reading Adam Bede. I knew I really shouldn't because I would eat too many and not be able to stop, but when it came to the point I made them anyway and ate too many. I realized how like Arthur that was! He knew he shouldn't be doing what he was doing, and he talked himself out of it many times, but when it came to the point he still did it.It's interesting that although George Eliot personally seemed to have issues with the religion of her day, she can talk about religion so beautifully in her books. (I realize I have used the word "beautiful" way too many times, but oh if you read it, you will understand.) The year the story takes place is 1799, but the year it was published was (I believe) 1856. There was a lot of religious fervor going on at that time. People were searching and wanting to do what was right, and were dissatisfied with the nation's religion, even though there were many good and wonderful members of the clergy. Who could not love Mr. Irwine? And yet Dinah believed in so much more. I had ancestors in England around that time period who I believe felt the same way, and that's why they were so open to hear of the restoration of the gospel from the Mormon missionaries who were sent there.Mrs. Poyser was an absolute gem! I loved that she was able to tell off the Squire and hold her own with the woman-hating Mr. Massey (I wanted to tell him off, too - I wish we could have heard why he hated women so much.). I was grateful that George Eliot put in an epilogue so we could see what happened to the characters who were missing at the end of the book. This is an amazing book - everyone should read it.

[samfsmith_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

George Eliot (aka Marian Evans) was so far ahead of her contemporaries. Her realist novels read as if they had been written a hundred years later. Of course, she skirts around some of the more difficult subjects in Adam Bede: the relations between Hetty and Arthur are only hinted at, and the murder of the child is related after the fact.But her characterizations are so much more realistic than anything that Dickens produced it is hard to even draw a comparison. Pip seems a caricature next to Adam Bede. And all of Dickens' female characters lack the depth of a Hetty or even a Mrs. Poyser from Adam Bede.An excellent novel, well worth reading again and again.

[justininlondon · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Did not finish. Which surprised me as I've loved other Eliot novels such as Daniel Deronda and Middlemarch. This one completely failed to grab me.

[jmaloney17 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

If you like Middlemarch, you will like this story too.This was Eliot's first novel, and having already read Middlemarch that is pretty obvious. The writing is not as crisp. There are random chapters that seem to have nothing to do with anything. The first 75-100 pages are nothing but description (as typical of Eliot and the time period), but once you are through it the book moves very quickly. When I got towards the end, I did not want to put it down.The only real complaint I had was one of the characters, Seth Bede. Seth is Adam's brother. He is a doormat! He was a little frustrating. I wondered why Eliot even bothered with the character. He did not contribute much to the overall plot at all.At any rate, the book is good. If you like Middlemarch and Eliot read it. If you just want to try Eliot for the first time, go with Middlemarch over Adam Bede.

[fig2_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Adam personifies goodness, but he's in love with the shallow, self-obsessed Hetty. She is only interested in the material luxuries that the ego-maniacal Arthur can give her. This unfortunate love triangle leads to a tragedy none had anticipated. Eliot has a perfect ear for dialect. Beautifully written and emotionally satisfying.

[strandbooks_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't think George Eliot will ever disappoint me. This was her first novel so it isn't Middlemarch or Silas Marner, but still wonderful nonetheless. The dialect takes a little getting used to and some of it is impossible to understand, but that is her point since the characters talk about the accents of different villagers they have trouble conversing with. I wish I hadn't read the librarything tags because I don't think I would have foreseen Hatty's actions. Eliot must have pushed the boundaries with her descriptions of Hatty's and Arthur's affair. Although, I connected with many characters, there were way too many villagers that would pop in and out. Unlike her other novels they weren't developed enough for me to remember each character. And by the last 30 pages there really isn't any reason to introduce new villagers just to show english life that was already established throughout the novel.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable read, with three lovely main characters and several interesting minor characters. If you are a George Eliot fan, this one is not quite on par with "Silas Marner" or "Middlemarch", but it is definitely worth a read.

[charlie68_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my favourite books of all time.

[manque_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A dense delight of a novel, full of amusing witticisms and engaging language. The detail provided in the cause of moral realism is at times a bit too much--these parts can be skimmed without loss. Eliot's views on aesthetics (as voiced by the narrator, particularly in Ch. 17) well reward any serious thought the reader gives them. The heavy-handed plot manipulation to draw the characters together at the end is too forced, but the end can be ignored and the novel still stands up well. The women--Lisbeth and Mrs. Poyser especially--are memorably drawn.

[sophiemaroon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I guess this is Eliot's first book, and her novels definitely get much more interesting as her career progresses. The characters are pretty one dimensional, and I don't care if this the 19th century, the ending still makes me mad! Womanhood, gender relations, and sex are handled with much greater subtlety and insight in her other novels, IMO.

[jcovington_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nice piece of fiction set in Napoleonic era Britain. It is a classic for a reason, with a well written story and well done characters. It does tend to reflect Victorian values, but then George Eliot was Victorian.

[revchrishemyock · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written but at the same time I sometimes find George Eliot too sad for my taste - but not as desperately sad as Hardy though thank goodness.I have re-read this novel many times because it is so homely.

[bookmindful · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love, love, love this book - the morality of the story, the characters' honesty and Eliot's compassion for them. It just emanates goodness. It's not a difficult read but it's on the slow side. Still, it's well worth the effort.

[puabi_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Couldn't finish it, though I tried nobly. Dinah was a bore.