Q 7:
Discuss George Eliot’s realism.
Or
What are the biographical elements in “Adam
Bede”?
Or
Discuss the dear reader technique of George Eliot
in “Adam Bede”.
Or
Discuss Eliot’s psychological approach in “Adam
Bede”.
Answer:
George Eliot
has been considered as the
intellectual novelist. For every intellectual novelist realism is
necessary, but for Eliot it is a creed and ambition. She declares her stories
as “a criticism of life”; hence she draws her stories from actual life. She
draws her own model and deals everything with devoted and sincere truthfulness.
Whereas, such truthfulness is missing in Dickens and Faulkner, rather there is
an air of artificiality in their work. Eliot says:
“Falsehood is so easy, truth is so
difficult.”
But for writer like Eliot’s
intellect, it is very difficult to create falsehood. In Eliot’s time, the “dear
reader” technique was widely used. The method derives from the conception that
since fiction was literally untrue hence
was a deception and morally unhealthy. 18th century writers,
especially Defoe took pains to insist that their novels were real account of
true happenings. Although, 19th century gradually came to accept
fiction as fiction, the custom of speaking directly to the readers would
do persisted. It took novel another forty years to take its place as a
serious art form. Through out “Adam Bede”, Eliot pretends that it is a
true story. She takes the position of one who is merely recording events as
heard by her. Almost all the background of her stories arises from her early
childhood memories of the Warwickshire countryside. For this reason she says
that her novels are her “experience of life”. Though there is great
contribution and blend of imagination, yet description have a warmth and
colour of memory. In “
Adam Bede
” events of the story take place in
1799 i.e. about half a century before it is written, yet
George Eliot
shows such a clear picture of past, that
to many older people it reminds the era of their early years or childhood. Hays
lope world is as true as any village in England. Eliot draws her characters
from real life. In “
Adam Bede
” she describes that
Dinah Morris is a pen picture
of her own Methodist aunt, Mrs. Samuel Evans. Though, her aunt is not like
Dinah
in her softness and beauty, yet the
main idea is taken from her. Even the main theme of the story i.e. confession
and execution of a woman, on murdering her child, is taken from account of a
similar incident by Eliot’s same aunt. Thus she tries to make it more real by
using original story. It is said that her character of
Adam
, resembles Eliot’s father very
closely. Her power of observation goes hand in hand with her memory and imagination.
It is her deep observation of people’s behaviour in daily life, which makes her
character more close to reality. Mrs. Poyser represents true wit and humour of
a pure countrywoman of that time. It is said that she had some characteristics
of Eliot’s mother. Through
Arthur
Eliot bitterly satirizes the general
behaviour and customs of landlords. Eliot also depicts the ‘psychological
realism’ in her novels. She has deep insight in her human nature and she
unveils its weaknesses. Her stories define a certain ‘moral conflict’ of human
life; the conflict of duty and desire, of heart and head, of mind and soul. The
inner world of her characters is more important to her than the outer one. She
skillfully penetrates to the inner-self of her character and thus exposes them.
Eliot’s keen observation of human nature is also visible in the minor incidents
of the novel. For instance, man’s natural selfishness is revealed through various
characters. As when
Hetty resolves
to forgive
Arthur
, it is also
for the sake of her own salvation. Another
example of Eliot’s intellect and insight inhuman nature is shown in the
marriage of Adam with Dinah. It expresses man natural instinct to
escape from pain and suffering, and that every passion losses its intensity
with the passage of time. Eliot has been criticized on grounds of exaggerating
in some cases. An objection is raised that she has made
Hetty
’s sufferings prolonged and acute,
and she does not deserve such extremely harsh treatment. The reason might be so
that being a moralist; Eliot could not spare even the slightest moral lapse in her
female characters. Another, objection is that
“she has made Adam and Dinah”
too good to be true”
. Their excessive goodness makes
them unreal. But this was done by Eliot with a definite aim to reject the popular
notion of her time that all men and women are mere temptress.
In short,
George Eliot’s wisdom, intellect and imagination do not go for from reality.
Her insight into human nature brings the very truth about ourselves in front of
us also. It is her trait which differ her from other Victorians and make her
first in the queue of modern novelists.
very well explained
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