Other editions of book Scenes of Clerical Life

How is this book unique?Font adjustments & biography includedUnabridged (100% Original content)IllustratedAbout Scenes of Clerical Life by George EliotGeorge Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) made her fictional debut when SCENES OF CLERICAL LIFE appeared in 'Blackwood's Magazine' in 1857. These stories contain Eliot's earliest studies of what became enduring themes in her great novels: the impact of religious controversy and social change in provincial life, and the power of love to transform the lives of individual men and women. 'Adam Bede' was soon to appear and bring George Eliot fame and fortune. In the meantime the SCENES won acclaim from a discerning readership including Charles Dickens: ' I hope you will excuse my writing to you to express my admiration...The exquisite truth and delicacy, both of the humour and the pathos of those stories, I have never seen the like of.'

Three stories are set during the last twenty years of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century over a fifty year period, and take place in and around the fictional town of Milby in the English Midlands. Eliot examines, among other things, the effects of religious reform and the tension between the Established and the Dissenting Churches on the clergymen and their congregations, and draws attention to various social issues, such as poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence.

George Eliot's brilliant fiction debut contains three stories from the lives of clergymen, with the aim of disclosing the value hidden in the commonplace. "The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton" portrays a character who is hard to like and generally despised--until his suffering shocks others into fellowship and sympathy. In "Mr. Gilfil's Love-Story," young Caterina is courted by two opposite men: Wybrow, who is capable of loving only himself, and Mr. Gilfil, whose love is selfless. "Janet's Repentance" recounts a conversion from sinfulness to righteousness, achieved through the selfless endeavors of an evangelical clergyman. Written more than a decade after her break with the Christian faith, these tales represent Eliot's search for a "religion of humanity" compatible with the best qualities of Christianity.

George Eliots fiction debut contains three stories from the lives of clergymen, with the aim of disclosing the value hidden in the commonplace. The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton portrays a character who is hard to like and easy to ridicule. Mr. Gilfils Love-Story, brings forth conflicting value systems revolving around a young woman, Caterina, and two men. Janets Repentance is an account of conversion from sinfulness to righteousness achieved through the selfless endeavors of a clergyman.

George Eliot was one of the best writers of the 19th century, but By George, this was no man. Instead, George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, a skilled female novelist who wanted to make sure her work was taken seriously by using a masculine pen name. The practice was widely used in Europe in the 19th century, including by the Bronte sisters. Regardless of her name, her work became well known in its time for realism and its psychological insight, including novels like Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1871–72), and Daniel Deronda (1876), most of them set in provincial England. Her work also infused religion and politics, and Victorian Era readers were fond of her books’ depictions of society.

The debut novel of George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) consists of three loosely connected tales, all focusing on country parsons in nineteenth-century England and their struggles to breathe life into moribund creeds while dealing with their own personal problems. "The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton" vividly recreates the impoverished life of an uninspiring preacher who is unable to move the simple townsfolk of his parish with religion, yet in the end evokes their compassion when tragedy strikes his family. In "Mr. Gilfil's Love-Story" a web of unrequited love entangles a young parson in a difficult moral dilemma that contrasts all-too-human passion with idealistic love. The concluding story, "Janet's Repentance," describes the sectarian strife between the established Anglican church and the new Methodism of the time. In the midst of this conflict, a Methodist minister comes to the aid of the abused, alcoholic wife of his chief Anglican enemy.Eliot displays her gifts for creating interesting moral conflicts, vivid characters, and realistic dialogue in these engrossing and enduring tales.

Scenes of Clerical Life is the title under which George Eliot's first published work of fiction, a collection of three short stories, was released in book form; it was the first of her works to be released under her famous pseudonym. The stories were first published in Blackwood's Magazine over the course of the year 1857, initially anonymously, before being released as a two-volume set by Blackwood and Sons in January 1858. The three stories are set during the last twenty years of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century over a fifty year period. The stories take place in and around the fictional town of Milby in the English Midlands. Each of the Scenes concerns a different Anglican clergyman, but is not necessarily centred upon him. Eliot examines, among other things, the effects of religious reform and the tension between the Established and the Dissenting Churches on the clergymen and their congregations, and draws attention to various social issues, such as poverty, alcoholism, and domestic violence

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) was an author who became extremely well-known in Victorian high society circles well before her career as a writer truly took off. Scenes of Clerical life shows her early beginnings in producing quality fictional work, while also outlining some of the earliest mentions of themes such as religion and social issues, that Eliot had integrated in her later works as well. The book basically contains three main stories that mention – although without always placing in the foreground – the lives of three clergymen and the manner in which their lives and the lives of those around them have been affected by religious reform and the differences between dissenting and established religious beliefs and traditions. The first story, “The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton” talks about a pious clergyman that has been assigned the difficult role of curator of the parish church of Shepperton, and has significant difficulty in becoming an integrated part of the congregation and local society. “Mr. Gilfil's Love Story” is the second tale included in Scenes of Clerical Life, talking about the concerns of clergyman Maynard Gilfil, who falls in love with an Italian orphan girl. What makes this love story more difficult, however, is the fact that Tina – as the girl is known – is infatuated with Captain Anthony Wybrow. A complex social situation ensues, showing the effects of religious and social differences even in the most common aspects of life. Finally, “Janet's Repentance” follows the story of Reverend Tryan, who faces significant opposition as a newcomer to the town of Milby, due to the fact that he is an evangelical clergyman. Eliot had inspired her writings from her own childhood town of Warwickshire, describing many of the similar details of religious and social life in the area and managing to present a clear picture of the true impact of religious reform as a whole.