Journal article
Why Read George Eliot?
American Scholar, p129-132
01 Jan 2006
Abstract
"The most important--though most derided--aspect of [George] Eliot's [literary] style is her narrative voice, which frequently breaks into the action to philosophize or cast judgment on what is going on...Many critics, even those as discerning as Henry James, have criticized her narrative voice as overly intrusive and sententious. But their criticism seems entirely wrongheaded. Eliot's voice, in its assumption of a wiser, juster, more all-encompassing perspective, is the ligament of her novels. It elevates them from ingenious storytelling to divine comedy." (American Scholar) In this essay, Paula Marantz Cohen praises Eliot's novels for their "insights into the power dynamics of relationships" and their acknowledgement of "the possibility of change for the better." Cohen argues that while Eliot's "moral seriousness simply doesn't register on our [contemporary] cultural landscape," "[o]ur society and our relationships would be saner and better if more grownups read her."
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Details
- Title
- Why Read George Eliot?
- Creators
- Paula Cohen
- Publication Details
- American Scholar, p129-132
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Pennoni Honors College
- Identifiers
- 991019170355504721