Mary Anne Evans

Mary Anne Evans, better 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 was born on 22 November 1819 in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, to a wealthy and influential family. She attended various schools until the age of 16, when she moved with her father to Coventry. There she became acquainted with radical and freethinking intellectuals, such as Charles Bray and Sara Hennell, who influenced her religious views and literary tastes. She also learned several languages, including German, Italian, and Greek, and read widely in philosophy, history, and literature. She began to write essays and reviews for various journals, such as the Westminster Review, where she met John Chapman, the editor and publisher. Chapman invited her to work as an assistant editor in London in 1851. There she met many prominent writers and thinkers of the time, such as Herbert Spencer, Harriet Martineau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. She also formed a close friendship with George Henry Lewes, a journalist and critic who encouraged her to write fiction. Lewes was married but separated from his wife, who had children with another man. Lewes could not divorce his wife legally, so he and Evans decided to live together as a married couple in 1854. This caused a scandal in society and estranged Evans from her family and friends. She adopted the pseudonym George Eliot to protect her identity and reputation as a writer. She also wanted to avoid the stereotype of women writers who wrote sentimental and romantic novels. She aimed to write realistic and psychologically complex novels that explored the moral and social issues of her time. Her first published work of fiction was a collection of three short stories titled Scenes of Clerical Life (1858), which was well received by critics and readers. She followed this with her first novel Adam Bede (1859), which was a huge success and made her famous. Her other novels include The Mill on the Floss (1860), which was partly autobiographical; Silas Marner (1861), which dealt with the themes of alienation and redemption; Romola (1863), which was set in Renaissance Florence; Felix Holt, the Radical (1866), which explored the political and social conflicts of the Reform Era; Middlemarch (1871-72), which is considered her masterpiece and one of the greatest novels in English literature; and Daniel Deronda (1876), which was her last novel and contained elements of Jewish culture and Zionism. Eliot also wrote several poems, such as The Spanish Gypsy (1868) and The Legend of Jubal (1874), as well as essays on various topics, such as German literature, ethics, religion, and politics. She also translated several works from German into English, such as David Friedrich Strauss's The Life of Jesus Critically Examined (1846) and Ludwig Feuerbach's The Essence of Christianity (1854). Eliot's relationship with Lewes lasted until his death in 1878. They were devoted to each other and supported each other's intellectual and creative endeavors. Lewes also acted as Eliot's literary agent and editor. After Lewes's death, Eliot suffered from depression and loneliness. She surprised everyone by marrying John Cross, a banker who was 20 years younger than her, in 1880. They traveled to Venice for their honeymoon, but the marriage was short-lived as Eliot died of kidney disease on 22 December 1880 in London. She was 61 years old. She was buried in Highgate Cemetery (East) in London, next to Lewes. Eliot's novels are celebrated for their realism, psychological insight, social commentary, and artistic beauty. She created memorable characters and vivid descriptions of the English countryside and society. She also explored the themes of human nature, morality, religion, gender, class, and politics. She influenced many writers of her own and later generations, such as Henry James, Virginia Woolf, D.H. Lawrence, and Joseph Conrad. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest novelists in the English language and a major figure in the history of literature. ¹²³⁴