A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot

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that I am a man: in my love for him it is fird clear to me that he belones to me and I to him, that we two cannot be without each other, that only community constitutes humanity. But, morally, also, there is a quAlitative) critical distinction between the!. and ~. My fellow-man is my objective conscience; he makes my failings a reproach to me; even when he does not expressly mention them, he is my personified feeling of shame. The consciousness of the moral law, of right, of propriety, of truth itself, is indissolubly united with ~y consciousness .of another than myself. 19 Once we have decoded Feuerbach's rather abstruse style, we find he is 1- saying some very familiar things. ~ belongs to the tradition of nineteenth century philosophers and social scientists whom I have already 1 mentioned. IHe stresses the importance of community-based feelings as the \ .~ cornerstone of morality, as we see in the phrase "only community oonstitutes humanity." He emphasises the way in which we discove::." the measure of ourselves in the implicit or explicit judgement of our neighbours. The parallels between his thought and George Eliot's are immediate and striking; they quite obviously shared the same preoccupations and we can readily understand how she was drawn to translate him. The reinforcement he offered t a her ideas was exclusively a moral one. The. importance of the other person, the need for fellowship (which, as we have seen, relates to the biological and ecological emphasis on medium) are essential aspects of moral growth. In addition, Feuerbach exerted a oonsiderable influence on the political thought of Marx and Engels who criticised him severely for this very moralistic bias. Engels claims, for example, that lithe same Feuerbach who on every page preaches sensuousness, absorption in the concrete, in actuality, becomes thoroughly abstract as soon as he be€:,"ins to talk of other than mere sex relations between human beings. Of these relations only one aspect appeals to him: morality." 20 Marx and Engels thought Feuerbach v~s mistaken in seeing all relationships between men as moral relationships; critic:..: of Marx and Engels object to their exclusive emphasis on economic relationships. Hevertheless, George Eliot's OvVTI moralistic bias shows her to be closer to the
spirit of Feuerbach than his political followers. I have already mentioned one other aspect of Feuerbach's thought in connection vdth the problems of temporary lack of motivation in a character like Deronda. I find it most pertinent to Il\Y analysis of George Eliot's thought because it summarises what I have indicated is her tacit re-acceptance of Aristotle's final cause, the goal towards which we direct our activities. Feuerbach w.ritesthat Every man ••• must place before himself a God, i.e., an aim, a purpose. The aim is the conscious, voluntary, essential impulse of life, the glance of genius, the focus of 5e1£knowledge,--the unity of the material and the spiritual in the individual man. He who has an aim has a l.
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FROM PRECEPTS TO PEOPLE: A STUDY OF
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letters. Because she believes in th
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CONTENTS. Chapter I INTRODUCTION
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2. thought to result from the frequ
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4. assume a strong possibility that
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6. Eliot wanted, even needed, to be
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8. ible laws--and work towards the
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10. our twentieth~entur.Y preoccupa
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12. realistic an appreciation of th
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Grandcourt. Deronda. refrains from
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16. is coni'used with the conceptio
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18. " , that individual defines him
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20. The intricacies of human nature
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22. Let us now examine the novels t
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24. system, what we feel and adjust
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26. "spots of commonness. It 76 So
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28. discussion of Lydgate in chapte
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30. "It would really have been a ma
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32. and his failure to appreciate t
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34. moral regeneration; remorse as
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36. recognise that their only safeg
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Psychological Assumptions, A knowle
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Psychological Determinism. lIConstr
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"this alone which can give value to
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view, that he continued. to occupy
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eX3.mine the evolutionc:cry if.: 2:
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48. seeing, or that he is looking i
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50 .. It is this very rigiCiity of
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'Jtions, further "vi t:'
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acceptance of the 'al determini -;m
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Tito shows us them faced 7rith or m
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Ylhile:re exaEline the psychologica
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60. introduced into the novel and d
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62. biologists like Darwin and Lewe
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64. development of the Earth, in th
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66. formed him and which he b helpi
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68 .. that in the onward tendency o
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~lirectinG her irony at just the so
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72 .. mid-nineteenth century in ord
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74. ~ Inb orn Half.: 5!!.. Memory .
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76. nervous and glandular struoture
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78. by new findine:s in cornparati
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80. out the novels this emphasis on
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82. of heredity, especially ir. the
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lIabandoned the historical universa
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86. Gwendolen we may feel that desc
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88 ... Eliot translates particular
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90. offers various ways in which th
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92. in the vast universe of conscio
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94. It is extremely doubtful whethe
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96. acknowledged, "in itself, it is
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98. main component of this feeling
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100. utility organised and consolid
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102. over generations until it almo
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104-. mention. He shares with Georg
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106. took over the role of reason a
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108. morality must not be allowed t
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110 .. The third, and for the prese
Page 117 and 118: 112. truth, that moral judgements m
Page 119 and 120: 114. orthodox step, discard her for
Page 121 and 122: 116. between two opposing ethical v
Page 123 and 124: 118. If facts about the moral world
Page 125 and 126: 120. longer see other people as ext
Page 127 and 128: 122. ly called moral intuitions. Th
Page 129 and 130: 124. nance which, in her mind, rele
Page 131 and 132: 126. face of a law which is not una
Page 133 and 134: 128. see very little of her, has sh
Page 135 and 136: 1.30. has sacred virtue.!! 19 She f
Page 137 and 138: 132. I have been labouring the poin
Page 139 and 140: 134. and is therefore related to th
Page 141 and 142: 136. the simplicity and clearness o
Page 143 and 144: 138. herself is somewhat ambivalent
Page 145 and 146: ;ylaints which'ange many clitics on
Page 147 and 148: 142. She accepts in these words a C
Page 149 and 150: 1411-. ological novel concealed wit
Page 151 and 152: 146. the children--which she would
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Page 155 and 156: 150. original sin and the need for
Page 157 and 158: 152. way with Comte t s dogmatic as
Page 159 and 160: 154. The Incalculable Effect. The p
Page 161 and 162: 156. those of mentor/pupil. They Sh
Page 163 and 164: 158. I i The important healing qual
Page 165 and 166: 160. In 1854, George Eliot translat
Page 167: creatures, love and tolerance. Simi
Page 171 and 172: -166 .. does not totally avoid all
Page 173 and 174: 168. construct for moral grovnh. It
Page 175 and 176: 170. that base line and the height
Page 177 and 178: 172. home a familiar unmistakable d
Page 179 and 180: 174. strengths. Gwendolen has not c
Page 181 and 182: 176. psychological terms; there is
Page 183 and 184: 178. vanity and her longing for soc
Page 185 and 186: 180. tllat Casa;.1bon seeks to impo
Page 187 and 188: ignore the fact that we have only t
Page 189 and 190: 184. than work and money. The very
Page 191 and 192: 186. to do this; they ·willingly e
Page 193 and 194: 188. of more recent psychological t
Page 195 and 196: 190. to alter perspeoti ve on her c
Page 197 and 198: 192. conceit of means whereby seque
Page 199 and 200: 1 thought processes as, f"ee:Ling s
Page 201 and 202: 196. and so on, all establish the i
Page 203 and 204: 198. suoh a description. The first
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Page 207 and 208: 202. it. Let us now oonsider in gre
Page 209 and 210: It is Do; )t;hea t s engagement to
Page 211 and 212: ":hanging wit'"; the sElcrElt, a 'o
Page 213 and 214: 208. he did not look mood;y; if he
Page 215 and 216: \'he crusty, ;t:"ic painter, nero d
Page 217 and 218: 212. he is more inclined tovmrds li
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214. Preoepts ~ People. If we plot
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216. the ''heredit~ entailed Nemesi
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218. . II 10 an d agal.n. When she
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220. be stripped S!!. self-seekinea
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222. do not "choose, ~ in Mill t S
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spones. Psychoanalytic critics have
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226. remonstrate further nor does s
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228. ness will demonstrate a breadt
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230. don Silva and accepts her gyps
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stinctive rescue of Mirah and the c
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234. member the derivation of the w
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236. ainly they become yet another
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238. to the time when he finds his
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mente George Eliot may write of "ho
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traces of Puritanism, and, as Ian W
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Gwendolen's rejection of the stabil
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246. for upper middle class society
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248. tracting us while the real eve
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250. are tlanguish to ~hei~ own nob
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2.52. Romola, Dorothea Brooke and D
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254. stantly to the nov~ls and to t
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256. 1°George Levine, "Determinism
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258. Notes: El2,. 13-15 13 Ibid 1.2
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260. Notes: El2,. 21-24 52Ibid, p.
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262. Notes: ££. 29-35 91 George E
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Notes: EE.. 42-45. ~ssays of George
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266. Notes: ~. 50-56. 41 GEL, vol.
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268. Notes: E£.. 62-64. 1~erbert S
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Notes: EE,. 68-73. 52aarbara Hardy
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272. Notes: EJ2.. 78- 81. 17 quoted
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274. Notes: Ell. 87-93. 3GEL , vol.
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276. Notes: 12lI2.. 96-*_ 28George
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27.8. Notes: I?2,. 1 06-1 09. 31lma
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280. Notes: E.l2,. 115-120. 68A•
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282 •• Notes: Ell. 128- 133. 15
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284.. Notes: E2,. 138-142. 25George
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286. Notes:;e:e,. 147-151 63Paul Ti
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Notes: ~. 157-164. 6George Eliot, :
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290. Notes: E,E.. 169-176. 10David
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Notes: ER,.. 182-189. 49George Elio
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294. Notes: .eE,.. 197-200. Tragedy
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296. Notes: I!P... 204--21 2. 6Ibid
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298. Notes: E£. 218-223 17George E
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300 • Notes: ~. 229-233. 53quoted
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Notes: pp. 241-248. 91 Basil Willey
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Bibliography. Primary Sources: !. G
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Hennell, Charles. ~ InquiJ;y concer
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308. Adam, Ian. Ed. ~ Particular !!
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310. H. Champion, 1933. Bowler, Pet
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312. Eisely, Loren. Darwin's Centur
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314-. _. ~ Novels 2!. Georse Eliot:
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316. reoherohe ~ temps perdu, ~.2!
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318. Lodge, David. ~ Language of' F
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320. Paris, Bernard. Experiments !!
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322. Sartre, J-P. Existentialism ~
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324. Tillioh, Paul. ~ Courage ~~. L
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