The History and Literary Context of Silas Marner.

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30.01.04

The History and Literary Context of Silas Marner

Silas Marner was written in 1860 by Mary Ann (Marian) Evans, better known under the pen name of George Eliot. She used this name for several reasons; for one, she’d had affairs with a variety of unsuitable men, which was greatly frowned upon in those days, and she rightly thought this could affect her career as a successful novelist. For another reason, women authors were looked down upon by critics and indeed, society, so she felt sure she would have a greater chance of success under a male name. Other women writers like the Bronté sisters have done similar things.

        Whilst she was young she was a firm Christian, as was expected. It was only later that she began to question her faith, when she met the unconventional Charles Bray and his wife Caroline. Eliot’s father was horrified when he discovered this, having an evangelical outlook on life. He broke contact with Eliot entirely, ashamed that one of his children should turn out to be a non-believer. However, when her mother died in 1836, Eliot returned home to look after her father although she wouldn’t give up her education and learnt German and Italian.

        Because of her linguistic skills, Eliot’s first publication was a translation of Strauss’ Life of Jesus, under her real name. She still was not writing novels until she met George Lewes. Lewes was married and with children, but he and Eliot grew gradually closer until they finally decided to elope. As Lewes was already married, he and Eliot could not be officially joined in matrimony, but they lived together like man and wife, and Eliot even went under the name Lewes. Their relationship was censured by many, and Eliot hardly left the house, becoming more and more depressed.

        However, Lewes convinced Eliot to start writing her own novels and in 1858 she published her first book, Scenes of Clerical Life, under her pen name. From there she went on to write a number of other books including Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda and, of course, Silas Marner.

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        When Lewes died after continual bad health in 1878, Eliot was devastated, but she still married an old friend, John Cross. Seven months later, in 1880, George Eliot died. She was buried next to Lewes.

        The early part of Silas Marner is set during the Napoleonic Wars of 1793 to 1815. The war did not much affect Eliot’s fictional, small town of Raveloe; in fact the farmers saw it as a positive thing: “It was still that glorious war-time which was felt to be a peculiar favour of Providence towards the landed interests.” During the war period the farmers could farm ...

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