NOTORIOUS EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS
She was also infamous for various emotional attachments during her literary career. For example, she lived with Chapman for some time, though he was married. She had also developed intimacy with Herbert Spencer who was the sub-editor of The Economist. Later on, Evans met Lewes in 1851.
Although Lewes was married to Agnes Jervis, Jervis had an adulterous affair with Leigh Hunt. Therefore, Lewes and Evans decided to live together as husband and wife in 1854. They visited Germany for a research purpose and lived there for some time. Before going, Evans continued the translation of Feuerbach’s The Essence of Christianity. She also translated Baruch Spinoza‘s Ethics in Germany that was completed in 1856. The couple lived happily as formal spouses until Lewes’ demise in 1878.
SUCCESSFUL WRITING
While writing for The Westminster Review, Evans determined to write novels. However, she condemned the trivial writing subjects of women writers of the time. For example, in one of her last essays Silly Novels by Lady Novelists, she discussed the insignificant plots of the women writers. However, she supported and admired the realism of Victorian novelists in Europe.
USE OF PEN NAME
In 1857, Evans published the first of her three short stories “The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton”. She published it in Blackwood’s Magazine with the pen name George Eliot for the first time. With this story, Evans began her fiction career. In 1859, Evans published her first-ever novel “Adam Bede”.
The novel “Adam Bede” is a piece of realism with an aesthetic sense taken from Dutch visual representations. It blends human sympathy with moral integrity. The novel also contains Evan’s biographical experiences, as she acquired the dialect of Adam from the conversation of her uncles with Evans’ father.
BEGINNING OF SUCCESS WITH ADAM BEDE
The novel brought Evans instant success and fame. However, the audience was curious about the authorship behind the remarkable literary piece. Even fake authorship was also claimed by Joseph Liggins. Due to the public questioning, Marian Evans was forced to reveal her identity behind the pen name.
This revelation shocked the public due to her immoral relationship with Lewes. However, it did not affect her career. Finally, the couple was accepted in 1877 when they both met Queen Victoria’s daughter, Princess Louise. She was a great admirer of Eliot’s writing and even created visual images of the scenes from “Adam Bede” by Edward Henry Corbould.
Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |