- Title: George Eliot A Life
- Author: Rosemary Ashton
- Year Published: 1996 (Penguin Books)
- Year Purchased: 2007
- Source: A discount bookstore in New York.
- About: I have a lot of nice things to say about this biography, but the words refuse to line up in the right order. If I wrote down what I was thinking, it wouldn’t make any sense to you. Actually, I tried. About five times, and it didn’t make any sense to me, either. In an effort to get my point across in a straightforward way, and not drive myself crazy whilst doing so, I’m going to toss some descriptive and applicable words at you: Thoughtful. Intelligent. Careful. Illuminating. Human. Measured. Absorbing. Interesting. Appropriate. Subtle. George Eliot is one of my favourite English-language novelists of the 19th century. Her books bear reading and stand up to repeated visits. So does Ashton’s biography.
- Motivation: I like George Eliot’s work. I love biographies to the point of near obsession.
- Times Read: 2
- Random Excerpt/Page 72: “Her isolated position high up in her foreign attic, poised between a past life of much frustration and under-achievement and an unknown future, encouraged her penchant for thorough analysis and turned it inward. Sara had worried about her state of mind and her ability to cope alone. Mary Ann replied that she did quite enough worrying on her own account. Solicitude which expressed itself in criticism was not helpful.”
- Happiness Scale: 9
English: George Eliot (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea.
Not just a blog, a philosophy
A Small Press Life: Books. Art. Writing. Life. Tea. 
Huh … did Eliot write poetry too? Maybe I’m thinking of T.S. Eliot. George Eliot sure rings a bell, though, but I know I have not read any of the novels … think I’m having literary deja vu.
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She started out as a translator and journalist but, although she also wrote poetry, she is known for her novels: Adam Bede; The Mill on the Floss; Silas Marner; Romola; Felix Holt, the Radical; Middlemarch (her most famous); and Daniel Deronda. She’s one of the most famous (and best) novelists of the 19th century.
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Huh … maybe I have read the poetry but not the novels. Another for the Kindle wish list!
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She didn’t publish very many poems, and I don’t think I’ve ever read one. I’ve no idea about style or subject matter so I cannot jog your memory, but you very well may have read some. As for the novels, you should definitely add one to your Kindle wish list. 🙂
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i remember we had to read silas marner in high school and i did not enjoy it much then. perhaps i should look at some of her other work. did she use the pen name because women weren’t taken seriously as writers?
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She’s definitely worth a re-read. I agree that you should try a different novel, though. There were authors I did not like in high school that I love now, because my perspective is different. On the other hand, there are those I disliked in high school who I still dislike (Hawthorne, especially).
Yes, by her own admission Eliot used a pen name for that reason. Plus, she lived with a married man and using her own name would not have done her early career any favours.
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so interesting. i will definitely give her a try.
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Come back and let me know what you think. I’m curious to see if your opinion changes (or not).
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