George Eliot

by Jenny Uglow

Best known for her masterpieces Middlemarch and Silas Marner, George Eliot (1819–1880) was both one of the most brilliant writers of her day, and one of the most talked about. Intellectual and independent, she had the strength to defy polite society with her highly unorthodox private life which included various romances and regular encounters with the primarily male intelligentsia. This insightful and provocative biography investigates Eliot’s life, from her rural and religious upbringing through her tumultuous relationship with the philosopher George Henry Lewes to her quiet death from kidney failure. As each of her major works are also investigated, Jenny Uglow attempts to explain why her characters were never able to escape the bounds of social expectation as readily as Eliot did herself.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, 19th Century, Literature, Literary Criticism, British Literature, History

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Jennifer Sheila Uglow OBE (née Crowther, born 1947) is a British biographer, critic and publisher. The editorial director of Chatto & Windus, she has written critically acclaimed biographies of Elizabeth Gaskell, William Hogarth, Thomas Bewick and the Lunar Society, among others, and has also compiled a women's biographical dictionary.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still have three chapters to read once I’ve read the GE works they cover but I am marking this as “read” now and will make other comments here as I finish up. As in Uglow’s Gaskell biography, she combines biography with an exploration of Eliot’s fiction in a brilliant way.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the ending:
“She shows us a world where biological destiny, patriarchal law and ingrained social assumptions seem to combine in a web of constraint, where it may not be possible to reach all our goals, and where people are separated from each other and divided within themselves. But her daring lies in her acceptance of difficulty and doubt, and her insistence that if we combine anger with humour and analysis with sympathy (as she does in her writing) both women and men can reach the higher ground and achieve a vantage point from which we can see clearly, make choices, and create our own futures in defiance of our vast uncertainties.”

In this biography I discovered the life and drive behind the striking empathy that comes across when reading Middlemarch, empathy that infuses each character and plot turn, and it didn’t surprise me to learn that this empathy was of primary importance to George Eliot.

Be aware that this is full of spoilers because of the many examples she gives from each novel, so it might be a better read for someone at the end rather than the beginning of their George Eliot reading experience.

I came away from this with even more respect for this great novelist, and appreciation for her intellectual and social curiosity as well as the life struggles that went into the making of her work.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was slightly disappointed that this wasn't a full biography, like Jenny Uglow's deliciously thorough biography of Elizabeth Gaskell. However, I liked it for what it is, a short biography together with thoughtful discussions of all the novels and other works.

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and competent. Underlying assumptions kept tripping me up and attitudes kept distracting me. For example, at one point Uglow writes about how Eliot hid the fact that she was living with a married man who had abandoned his family because she didn't want it to overshadow her 'moral arguments' about women and society. Uglow seemed to say these things without even blinking. So, I am moving on to something else.
OK, I have read more. The larger part of the book is divided into chapters about each of her larger works, and those were exquisite. I didn't read all those chapters because I haven't read all those books. However, the ones I did read- on Adam Bede, Middlemarch, and Silas Marner, were beautifully crafted analyses that completely defy the stuffy old history stereotype. I absolutely loved reading about Eliot's life and her writing within those chapters.
Perhaps when Uglow mentioned 'moral arguments', she was, in fact, blinking. I can't be sure. But as a writer, Uglow is one of the finest I am familiar with. I look for her name when I look for new reading material. I can't imagine how she would excel at fiction.
She reminds me of Eliot, in fact.
I'm glad I came back to this book.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good, insightful look at George Eliot's life and work from a feminist angle.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such an intelligent biography! Weaves Eliot's life and books together seamlessly.

[James Prothero]

This is an excellent biography. Concise and clear. Uglow is a good and perceptive critic when she writes about the novels. Highly recommended

[Al Bità · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have only read Eliot's 'Middlemarch' and enjoyed it; some people consider Eliot's works among the very best of English Novels. Then I read that the young Mary Anne Evans (Eliot's real name) had slaved over the translation from the German of a huge 1500 page work by George Friedrich Strauss entitled 'The Life of Jesus Critically Examined' which essentially debunked the gospel narratives as myths (and for which Strauss got into trouble): Eliot did this 'for the sake of humanity'. This made me interested in learning more about George Eliot, and when I saw this book being remaindered in a local bookstore, I could not resist purchasing it. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.

This is not to say that Uglow's work lacks merit: it does, and is interesting of its type. But its type is that of an academic treatise which examines one of the aspects of Eliot's works: her 'feminist' side. Eliot's 'scandalous' life (living with a married man) tended to keep her on the fringes of a certain type of society. Certainly, the highly intelligent Eliot was well aware of the disturbing developments in mid-19th-c England regarding new developments in the various sciences of geology, anthropology, and textual criticism which all tended to subvert the very basics of Christian mores, or at least those mores of the times. She had a robust sense that women, while having a certain place in society, were not to be considered inferior to men — but neither did she think that they were superior. For Eliot, women were equal to men, and she appears to have maintained that stance throughout her life. Many of her novels deal with various aspects of this problem, at least as Uglow points out.

What is unsatisfactory, for the casual reader, is that the book seems to assume its readership has already read and are able to recall all of Eliot's novels, and indeed, it would seem that being aware of the many critiques that have been written about her by others would be a necessary prerequisite as well. If you haven't these 'basics' I suspect you would find this work hard going, if not boring. Uglow's feminist interpretation, then, is something to ADD to the body of work dealing with Eliot; and in that sense the work is commendable. But it is not a work which will stimulate the casual reader to want to rush out and get Eliot's work — more's the pity, I suspect.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uglow's analysis of Eliot's works is perceptive and weaves in biographical background from Eliot's personal history to identify common themes in her writing.

Somehow, I have completely missed reading any of George Eliot's work. Though the literary criticism of Eliot's work and the biographical details were well-researched, my own background knowledge was sorely lacking. I would have enjoyed this much more if I had read some of Eliot's work first.

[Jane Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed by this book as I was expecting a biography but it was more of an analysis of the works of George Eliot. We were offered only tantalising glimpses into her life although there was a great deal of description of her beliefs and the influences on her work.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was probably better read after reading a lot of Eliot's books rather than as a good overview of her life. It's more a reflection on what we learn about her and what she wants to teach us through her novels. Interesting, but I think my timing was off.

[Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uglow spends the first two or three chapters running through Eliot’s early life and struggles, and thereafter each chapter corresponds to literary critique and analysis of particular text, accompanied with several opening pages of autobiography. Probably best read by those with familiarity with the works, but no less engaging, Uglow’s analysis makes a convincing case that the novels, though revealing Eliot’s suspicion of revolution and top-down change, even for the better, still argue for a rethinking of how the world molds and treats its women (and men):

”(Eliot) uses the metaphor of separate spheres (of influence between the sexes), not to justify women’s restriction to the realm of ‘feeling’ and domesticity, but to argue that the sympathy and sense of responsibility for others traditionally associated with ‘maternity’, and the passion and intuitive vision associated with ‘female irrationality’ should be brought to bear in the ‘masculine’ spheres of action and judgment. While women will be better able to achieve their full potential if they are given access to good education and to professional work, so men will grow if they are free to nurture and care—like Silas, Rufus Lyon and Daniel Deronda. If this could be achieved, society might replace a repressive, rule-bound ethnic with one that is legible, imaginative, and able to cater for humanity in its infinite variety.”

Uglow published those words in 1987. That was the year of Gary Hart’s “Monkey Business” escapade, among other such issues. I don’t know what Uglow makes of the #MeToo movement today. But I, at least, am encouraged by whatever seeds of introspection in our nation’s men (myself included) have been planted in recent years, and I am even more encouraged by young people who need no encouragement to rethink gender roles and urge the world that we can do better. Anyway. I recommend reading this book chapter by chapter, accompanied with Eliot’s work title by title beforehand. Eliot was a social novelist, and society can still take much from her works today.

[Joseph Chambers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's quite good as an introduction to her bibliography. Its bulk is made up of ~15-page analyses of her major works, from Scenes of Clerical Life to Daniel Deronda. They build on each other, too, so one gets a good if not exhaustive sense of her works' themes. I wouldn't describe it as a true biography, though, which is what I was looking for. This book is ultimately not that interested in telling the story of her life, doing so only as context for her work. Because it doesn't do what it says on the tin, and I hadn't read any of the works Uglow breaks down (skill issue), this was something of a slog.

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably among the best English language writers, the Jennifer Uglow biography of George Eliot is informative, insightful, and entertaining. It is well worth reading to gain a greater understanding and appreciation for Mary Ann Evans AKA George Eliot. We learn how she thinks and this is a learned woman. We learn about the time in which she lived and the people she knew. How she chose her pen name is shared as is much more. When I reread her novels, I will have Uglow’s book by my side.

[Dave Appleby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although biographically arranged, and giving details of Eliot's life, this is more of a literary criticism of Eliot's works written from a predominantly feminist perspective. I therefore found it most interesting when it dealt with one of the novels I have read (Middlemarch, The Mill on the Floss, Adam Bede, Silas Marner) and somewhat obscure when dealing with a book I have yet to read.

[Sandra Smit · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Eliot is geen George Sand. En hoewel de verhandeling van haar leven interessant is om te lezen, is dat niet het geval met alle analyses van al haar boeken. Op een gegeven moment weet je wel hoe ze haar wereld ziet en alle beperkingen voor vrouwen en gaat het vervelen.

[John Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much more analysis than biography, which is fine by me. No other author has captivated me in my forties more than Eliot. I would recommend finishing all Eliot's works before reading this. I had to skip a chapter, read the Lifted Veil, and go back to avoid spoilers.

[Catie]

Recommendation from @bookmusings - 3/2/2018