Scenes of Clerical Life (Oxford World's Classics)

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Throughout George Eliot’s ‘Scenes of Clerical Life’, the use of symbolism is prevalent and significant in conveying the themes and messages of the novella. One example of this is the recurring image of the river Floss, which represents the passage of time and the inevitability of change. The river is described as “a great flood of life” that “flows on towards eternity”, highlighting the idea that life is constantly moving forward and cannot be stopped or controlled. Another symbol used in the novella is the character of Mr. Tryan, who represents the power of faith and the ability to inspire change in others. His presence in the story serves as a catalyst for the transformation of other characters, such as Janet Dempster and Mr. Barton. Overall, the use of symbolism in ‘Scenes of Clerical Life’ adds depth and complexity to the narrative, allowing readers to engage with the themes and ideas presented in a more meaningful way. The Role of Religion in the Lives of the Characters Eliot was an early "exvangelical" who experienced a conversion while in her teens, then renounced her faith seven years later. And yet she paints a compelling and complimentary portrait of Edgar Tryan, the Evangelical pastor in the last story. As with many novels of manners, the plot moves at the pace of a glacier. The snark and humor evoked snorts of laughter.

Act II, Scene 1 — various scenes: 1) between the Captain and his fiancée; 2) between Tina and the Captain; 3) between Tina, the fiancée, the Captain and Gilfil, out of which is explained their relationships to each other, Tina's jealousy, the fiancée's jealousy, the truth of the captain's situation, everyone's worsening health, Tina's rudeness, the challenge of her explanation from the Lord, her decision to leave him for Gilfil, Gilfil's suffering and jealousy, etc. All of this should take place in the park. The second work in Scenes of Clerical Life is titled "Mr. Gilfil's Love-Story" and concerns the life of a clergyman named Maynard Gilfil. We are introduced to Mr Gilfil in his capacity as the vicar of Shepperton, 'thirty years ago' (presumably the late 1820s) but the central part of the story begins in June 1788 and concerns his youth, his experiences as chaplain at Cheverel Manor and his love for Caterina Sarti. Caterina, known to the family as 'Tina', is an Italian orphan and the ward of Sir Christopher and Lady Cheverel, who took her into their care following the death of her father. In 1788 she is companion to Lady Cheverel and a talented amateur singer. [21] Arbury Hall, where Eliot's father was estate manager, and the model for Cheverel Manor [22] Countess Caroline Czerlaski – a glamorous neighbour of somewhat dubious reputation. She is "a little vain, a little ambitious, a little selfish, a little shallow, and frivolous, a little given to white lies". [29] She is thought to be an impostor, but she really is a widow of an emigrant Polish count. She lives with a man who is popularly thought to be her lover, but is in fact her half-brother. Following this man's marriage (to Alice her maid) she asks the Bartons to be allowed to stay for a few weeks. This becomes months and the parishioners suspect that she is Mr Barton's mistress. She appears not to be concerned either by the damage she is inflicting on Barton's reputation, or about the increased strain she is putting on the household finances and, by extension, Milly. I discovered this classic writer as a result of a scene from the latest CBC version of Anne of Green Gables in which Aunt Josephine gives Anne a book by George Eliot. George Eliot was a woman writing under a pseudonym. Published in 1857 serially in a magazine, the success of "Scenes of Clerical Life" encouraged the writer to pursue her career. Lucy Maud Montgomery, born in 1874 would no doubt have been influenced by the stories that George Eliot artfully describes to us.The emotions, I have observed, are but slightly influenced by arithmetical considerations: the mother, when her sweet lisping little ones have all been taken from her one after another, and she is hanging over her last dead babe, finds small consolation in the fact that the tiny dimpled corpse is but one of a necessary average, and that a thousand other babes brought into the world at the same time are doing well, and are likely to live; and if you stood beside that mother—if you knew her pang and shared it—it is probable you would be equally unable to see a ground of complacency in statistics.

Dolin, Tim (2005). George Eliot: Authors in Context. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.69. ISBN 9780192840479. They entered, all with that brisk and cheerful air which a sermon is often observed to produce when it is quite finished. While the first story in this collection would only garner a 3.5 rating from me, the other two more than make up for it and thus find me giving the book a firm 5-stars. Amos Barton is a circuit rider—serving three churches—who barely makes enough money from his work to feed and clothe his wife and six children. Not a handsome man, he is the subject of gossip because he is a bad dresser, a deficient speaker, and a thoughtless husband and father. In contrast, his wife Milly (Amelia), a beautiful and graceful soul, holds the household together and is greatly admired—and often pitied—by her neighbors. She works so hard performing the daily chores and keeping the creditors at bay that her health suffers. So concerned with the spiritual health of his parishioners, Barton fails to notice his wife’s ill health until it is too late.

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Little did I know that the greater things were to be found in the second story of the series, Mr. Gilfil’s Love Story. Here is a man who did touch and pull at my heartstrings. Here is a story with depth and meaning, that keeps you captivated beginning to end. I could feel George Eliot blossoming as she wrote. Maynard Gilfil is one of the finest and sweetest characters in Eliot’s fine fiction.