A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot

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Conclusion .. George Eliot's novels hover precariously on the of a mechSniatic universe where every ca.use is scrl...-pulously laic. out and irreversible. At the same time, her belief in the possibility of moral development, whether of the individual or of therace,requires her to allow some measure of freedom, some room to manoeuvre within this harsh, uncompromising universe. To soften the impact of an inexorably impersonal world, she stresses the importance of fellowship ana. sympathy. Characters are defined in terms of relationship, not of ::,
254. stantly to the nov~ls and to the shared mid-oentury moral and psychological discourse~ But I have also endeavoured to provide a means of evaluating these ideas in terms of the aotual demands of writing a novel: the presentation of oharaoter growth and ohange, the development of plot, the interweaving of themes, and the use of aesthetic distanoe in the varying perspeotives offered by a oompassionate and an ironio narrator. In this way, I have brought out both the strengths and weaknesses of George Eliot's system of beliefs when it is applied to the I novels. In so far as it requires her to shift her perspective baokwards and forwards betwe~n the inexorable laws, (the "hard unaooommodating Actual," 2) and the individual, struggling human being, it greatly enriohes her novels. But in other ways it militates against their free development. Her belief in "universal causality," 3 in the effeot'of habit as a strong determinant of oharaoter, and in the transmission of inherited tendenoies leads her to impose restraints on the development of her oharacters. Her moral stand also provides too rigid a set of co-ordinates within whioh the charaoters establish themselves. Flawed oharaoters like Gwendolen Harleth and Lydgate have spaoe within this system, but the degenerate oharaoters die too oonveniently, and the morally elevated charaoters appear to be granted more freedom than is indeed the case.·· Their development is oarefully marked out within George Eliot's moral absolutism and her hierarohical value system. Charaoters and readers are too rigidly controlled within a world which, no matter how internally coherent, still offers a ver.y limited range of choices. George Eliot's system of beliefs limits the development of her oharacters and provides too inflexible a set of parameters.
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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
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112. truth, that moral judgements m
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114. orthodox step, discard her for
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116. between two opposing ethical v
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118. If facts about the moral world
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120. longer see other people as ext
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122. ly called moral intuitions. Th
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124. nance which, in her mind, rele
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126. face of a law which is not una
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128. see very little of her, has sh
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1.30. has sacred virtue.!! 19 She f
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132. I have been labouring the poin
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134. and is therefore related to th
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136. the simplicity and clearness o
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138. herself is somewhat ambivalent
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;ylaints which'ange many clitics on
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142. She accepts in these words a C
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1411-. ological novel concealed wit
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146. the children--which she would
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that come vlith the revelation of h
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150. original sin and the need for
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152. way with Comte t s dogmatic as
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154. The Incalculable Effect. The p
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156. those of mentor/pupil. They Sh
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158. I i The important healing qual
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160. In 1854, George Eliot translat
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creatures, love and tolerance. Simi
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spirit of Feuerbach than his politi
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-166 .. does not totally avoid all
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168. construct for moral grovnh. It
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170. that base line and the height
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172. home a familiar unmistakable d
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174. strengths. Gwendolen has not c
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176. psychological terms; there is
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178. vanity and her longing for soc
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180. tllat Casa;.1bon seeks to impo
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ignore the fact that we have only t
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184. than work and money. The very
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186. to do this; they ·willingly e
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188. of more recent psychological t
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190. to alter perspeoti ve on her c
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192. conceit of means whereby seque
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1 thought processes as, f"ee:Ling s
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196. and so on, all establish the i
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198. suoh a description. The first
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aooept the Positivistio faith in ir
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
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Page 213 and 214: 208. he did not look mood;y; if he
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Page 217 and 218: 212. he is more inclined tovmrds li
Page 219 and 220: 214. Preoepts ~ People. If we plot
Page 221 and 222: 216. the ''heredit~ entailed Nemesi
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Page 225 and 226: 220. be stripped S!!. self-seekinea
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Page 229 and 230: spones. Psychoanalytic critics have
Page 231 and 232: 226. remonstrate further nor does s
Page 233 and 234: 228. ness will demonstrate a breadt
Page 235 and 236: 230. don Silva and accepts her gyps
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Page 239 and 240: 234. member the derivation of the w
Page 241 and 242: 236. ainly they become yet another
Page 243 and 244: 238. to the time when he finds his
Page 245 and 246: mente George Eliot may write of "ho
Page 247 and 248: traces of Puritanism, and, as Ian W
Page 249 and 250: Gwendolen's rejection of the stabil
Page 251 and 252: 246. for upper middle class society
Page 253 and 254: 248. tracting us while the real eve
Page 255 and 256: 250. are tlanguish to ~hei~ own nob
Page 257: 2.52. Romola, Dorothea Brooke and D
Page 261 and 262: 256. 1°George Levine, "Determinism
Page 263 and 264: 258. Notes: El2,. 13-15 13 Ibid 1.2
Page 265 and 266: 260. Notes: El2,. 21-24 52Ibid, p.
Page 267 and 268: 262. Notes: ££. 29-35 91 George E
Page 269 and 270: Notes: EE.. 42-45. ~ssays of George
Page 271 and 272: 266. Notes: ~. 50-56. 41 GEL, vol.
Page 273 and 274: 268. Notes: E£.. 62-64. 1~erbert S
Page 275 and 276: Notes: EE,. 68-73. 52aarbara Hardy
Page 277 and 278: 272. Notes: EJ2.. 78- 81. 17 quoted
Page 279 and 280: 274. Notes: Ell. 87-93. 3GEL , vol.
Page 281 and 282: 276. Notes: 12lI2.. 96-*_ 28George
Page 283 and 284: 27.8. Notes: I?2,. 1 06-1 09. 31lma
Page 285 and 286: 280. Notes: E.l2,. 115-120. 68A•
Page 287 and 288: 282 •• Notes: Ell. 128- 133. 15
Page 289 and 290: 284.. Notes: E2,. 138-142. 25George
Page 291 and 292: 286. Notes:;e:e,. 147-151 63Paul Ti
Page 293 and 294: Notes: ~. 157-164. 6George Eliot, :
Page 295 and 296: 290. Notes: E,E.. 169-176. 10David
Page 297 and 298: Notes: ER,.. 182-189. 49George Elio
Page 299 and 300: 294. Notes: .eE,.. 197-200. Tragedy
Page 301 and 302: 296. Notes: I!P... 204--21 2. 6Ibid
Page 303 and 304: 298. Notes: E£. 218-223 17George E
Page 305 and 306: 300 • Notes: ~. 229-233. 53quoted
Page 307 and 308: 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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A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot

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