George Eliot's Literary Criticism - especially as seen in her Contributions to Periodicals

Abstract

This is the first attempt at a complete survey of George Eliot's literary criticism, which is contained in. all her writings: in letters and journals, novels and essays. Themain concern of this thesis is George Eliot's literary reviews and review articles, which covered only a brief period of her life: from 1846 - 1865.The Introduction describes this period and discusses her critical qualifications, her private reading and opinion of literary criticism and the literary references used in her novels. Chapter I is a survey of her opinion of Fiction, of past and contemporary novelists, as seen in her letters, novels and essays. Her reviews of individual novels, major and minor, are studied in detail with some use of other contemporary periodical criticism as a means of comparison. Chapter II similarly surveys her opinion of poetry and drama. Chapter III is a more selective account of her reviews of prose works other than fiction: literary criticism, translations and biography. Some of the many non-literary works reviewed by George Eliot are studied because, as they are mainly addressed to the general reader, they have bearing on George Eliot's methods and critical criteria. Her private reading of prose works is examined and her opinion of the special contribution of women to literature is considered. The conclusion summarises her criteria of criticism. A list of the essays and reviews contributed by George Eliot to periodicals is given in the Appendix.