A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot

101 ..
Bain, both of whom still held the earlier view that "the moral sense is
acquired by each individual during his lifetir:le." He states that lithe
ignoring of all transmitted mental qualities will, it seems to me, be
hereafter judged a most serious blemish in the works of Mr Mill." 15
This brief survey of some representative nineteenth century thinkers
Showlsome of the ideas which George Eliot had in corrunon with her contemporaries;
ine\Qtabl~ as she espoused the evolutionary psychology she had
greater aft" nities with Spencer and Dardn than
Bain, or 1\1:ill, whom
I have mentioned only in passing. Her closest affini;y wau undoubtedly with
G. H. Lewes. In his vlOrk he frequently appears eitheT' to be describing
various themes from her novels or prescribing areas ,'or her to explore ..
I am not trying to suggest definitive influence eith'i:!!' way. Both ','lriters
had powerful. minds and it seems a more viable conclusion to state that
they shared certain preoccupations and concerns, tha;; one of these waS
the potential moral development of an individual or"f a race, and that
as a result of these preoccupations they held a vocabulary in cornmon.
Lewes vlrote a massive work in five volumes, Problems !?f. Life ~ Jande
The final volumes were still in manuscript form when he died and the first
task George Eliot set herself after his death was to edit these volumes
. and preparetllom for publication. The fourth volume f Study !?f. ~sycholo€,:v;:
is most germane to this enquiry ,.especially tho.; chapter dealing
with liThe Moral Sense. tt
Lewes defines the moral sense as H."c
)n of right conduct
associated vrlth more or less direct disposition to aecordant practice. II
16
He shares with Darv;in the belief that C:Xr' moral sense is developed from
the "emotions of animals" which, he feels, constitute a IIrudimentary moral
17
sense. It He recognises that if we assert that our moral awareness derives
from ancestral tendencies we are indirectly readmitting some vestige
of innate ideas. Our moral sense is experientially based and consolidated