George Eliot and Nineteenth-Century Science. The Make-Believe of a Beginning

by Sally Shuttleworth

This study explores the ways in which George Eliot's involvement with contemporary scientific theory affected the evolution of her fiction. Drawing on the work of such theorists as Comte, Spencer, Lewes, Bain, Carpenter, von Hartmann and Bernard, Dr Shuttleworth shows how, as Eliot moved from Adam Bede to Daniel Deronda, her conception of a conservative, static and hierarchical model of society gave way to a more dynamic model of social and psychological life.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 29, 1984

Reviews

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

well it hovers in my brain at odd times.