Product Description

With an Introduction by Graham Handley Who was the Countess and why does she selfishly ingratiate herself into the poor household of Reverend Amos Barton, curate of Shepperton? The effect on his wife and family, and the responses of his congregation are shown in this, the first of George Eliot's works of fiction, and one of three short stories, which comprise Scenes of Clerical Life. The Reverend Maynard Gilfil, humble chaplain at Cheverel Manor, was quietly in love with Caterina, a young beauty of Italian extraction living at the manor. But she loved the heir to the estate, Captain Wybrow. Why does she prowl round the grounds at night with a dagger in her pocket? All is revealed in 'Mr Gilfil's Love Story', the second of the 'Scenes'. Why is the town of Milby so upset by the prospect of lectures from a young evangelical clergyman, Edgar Tryan? What is the connection with the influential lawyer, Robert Dempster? Beneath the respectable surface Dempster is a violent drunk who abuses his wife Janet, already herself struggling with alcohol. Janet turns to Edgar Tryan for help. The third 'Scene' is 'Janet's Repentance', a story with remarkably contemporary resonances and proof of George Eliot's ability to enlighten and interest modern readers. These stories were the first of George Eliot's published work, appearing in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine in 1857. This edition is published in conjunction with The George Eliot Fellowship to celebrate the 150th anniversary of this event.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140559 in Books
• Published on: 2007-02-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Customer Reviews

Three deceptively gentle stories by a great writer
My battered and very old copy of this book was picked up in a junk shop somewhere - and isn't the Penguin version, or any that I see listed here. But the beauty of the printed word is that it only needs to be legible to be powerful. George Eliot's mighty eye and ear trained themselves, throughout her career, on subjects great and small - but always with empathy, always seeking to find the heart even of cruel or merely silly people, always seeking to draw meaningful connections between all of life, people, animals and the land. With a loving hand she crafts tales of English life which have universal appeal.

The religious characters that are at the centre of these stories are really devices above all: although they are real, fleshed out men, they function almost as invisible narrators, allowing the reader to wander at leisure over a cast of other characters, where the 'real' action is going on. Thus, for example, the tale "Mr Gilfil's Love Story", while superficially being the story of the one great love of the Reverend Gilfil's life, really belongs to the girl he loved: it's her story. Likewise the Reverend Tryan is ostensibly the centre of "Janet's Repentance", but in fact the story is a beautiful portrait of a female-dominated community, with at its centre, an incredibly moving and powerful tale of an abusive marriage and a wife who finds her salvation in doing good. It is fundamentally a Christian book: but it's much more than just a book about Christians, which is why this book is still in print and hasn't faded into insignificance. Although the stories in this book happen largely to feature the [white] population of early 19th century England, they could be transposed anywhere at all: for there will always be love stories; village women everywhere love to gossip; rich men love to have their way; sickness and sore trials await us all.

The period about which Eliot wrote was a time of incredible change in the Church in England - fired among other things by the Industrial Revolution and the great changes wrought on the working people of Britain as a result. To weave stories around the religious life of England, a strong contemporary talking point, is a great way to talk about all sorts of taboo things whilst appearing to be focusing on that fascinating contemporary topic. With stealth and enormous skill she got male readers engrossed in a tale of, for example, marital abuse; cleverly disguising its force and avoiding the story's being written off as merely a woman's hysterical outpourings.

I have profound respect for Eliot's work, and though "Middlemarch" and "Daniel Deronda" are my favourites, I have a very soft spot for these lesser-known and definitely under-appreciated stories. It seems to me that in addition to being engrossing and moving, they also paint an accurate portrait of George Eliot herself: I think echoes of her concerns and characteristics, her kindness and her wisdom can all be found in these pages. In her greatness of vision, in not overlooking the lowliest creature, she is charity itself, a feature of all the great religions.

Scenes of Clerical Life by George Eliot
I first read this book many years ago and perhaps even owned it. I have been searching for my ancestors and find that the first forebears I have dated from 1514 in Fillongley, Warwick. In looking for the type of lives they lived I have been referred to George Eliot's Scenes of Clerical Life and Adam Bede as a guide even though these stories were written much later. Scenes I found delightful and think it is on a par with Cranford showing characters who enjoyed their neighbours and I really wonder why they have not been taken up and are more popular. There are three separate parts to the book and I enjoyed it very much.