George Eliot, The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton

1. George Eliot,�The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton� ENL 3251 October 26, 2010

2. Quiz #9 Describe the narrator of the story. What does Shepperton initially think of Amos Barton? Describe Barton�s physical appearance. How does his wife, Milly, help the family live on his small income? What are some of Barton�s professional duties? How well does he perform them? Why does the Countess Czerlaski move in with the Bartons? Why does she leave? What is the effect of having the Countess live with them? What happens after Milly�s death? Extra Credit: What minor crisis occurs at the Contess�s dinner party? What does the narrator say about the Rev. Cleves?

3. Introduction Biography of Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) Takes penname �George Eliot� for publication of 1st story, �The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton� History of religion in England and Victorian religious debates Crucial to understanding Eliot and �Amos Barton� �The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton� Strong example of Victorian realism Discussion questions

4. Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) Born and raised in a small, English town Was a devout Evangelical Christian Changed views towards atheism in the 1840s, after personal reading Fought with father over refusal to attend church services Father dies in 1849, giving her more room for independence

5. Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) In 1854, moves in with long term partner, George Henry Lewes, who was still married to another woman at the time Lewes was a respected philosopher Follower of August Comte�s Positivism Truth comes from examination of facts �Religion of Humanity� Many Victorians disapproved of their living arrangement

6. Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) In 1857, with the encouragement of Lewes, begins first work of fiction, �The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton� Eventually part of Scenes from Clerical Life (1859) Adopts penname, George Eliot Protects her from scandal Believes she will be taken more seriously

7. Novels by George Eliot Adam Bede, 1859 The Mill on the Floss, 1860 Silas Marner, 1861 Romola, 1863 Felix Holt, The Radical, 1866 Middlemarch, 1871-72 Daniel Deronda, 1876

8. Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880) Considered a major literary figure in the Victorian era Subsequently rejected for being too preachy and sentimental Critical appreciation returned in the latter half of the 20th century Feminism Psychology Realism

9. A Very Brief History of Religion in England 1534, Church of England (Anglican Church) established by King Henry VIII Breaks free from the authority of the Pope Sets ground for longstanding conflicts between Catholics and Puritans 1689, Anglican Protestantism officially established as the national religion of England Catholics and Dissenters (those not affiliated with an institutionalized religion) marginalized

10. Institutional Religion in Victorian England High Church Keep church closer to Catholic roots Low Church Separate church from Catholic roots Broad Church Between High and Low Churches Tractarianism Heavy emphasis on return to Catholic rituals Also known as Oxford Movement Led by Cardinal Henry Newman Opposed by Charles Kingsley Humiliated by Newman Considered elitist by opponents

11. Non-institutional and Non-state Religions in Victorian England Dissenters and Evangelicals Unitarians, Baptists, Methodists Believed individuals should interpret scripture Only Christian religious authority was the Bible Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, John Ruskin and George Eliot all Evangelicals at some point Non-national Religions Catholics (Ireland) Presbyterian (Scotland) Jews

12. �The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton� Narrated by an older man, who attended Shepperton Church 25 years prior to the story Modeled after Eliot�s childhood community Gender of author unknown at this time Follows the life of the curate, a low-level religious leader, Amos Barton Based on the Rev. John Gwyther Curate at church Eliot attended Ousted from the community because he lacked interpersonal skills

13. �Amos Barton� Eliot�s first story begins her exploration into realism Inspired by John Ruskin�s Modern Painters III (1856): The truth of infinite value that he teaches is realism - the doctrine that all truth and beauty are to be attained by a humble and faithful study of nature, and not by substituting vague forms, bred by imagination on the mists of feeling, in place of definite, substantial reality. The thorough acceptance of this doctrine would remould our life� (Eliot, quoted from Lodge 14)

14. �Amos Barton� Eliot aims to center the story around a protagonist who is largely unremarkable: The Reverend Amos Barton, whose sad fortunes I have undertaken to relate, was, you perceive, in no respect an ideal or exceptional character; and perhaps I am doing a bold thing to bespeak your sympathy on behalf of a man who was so very far from remarkable, - a man whose virtues were not heroic, and who had no undetected crime in his breast; who had not the slightest mystery hanging about him, but was palpably and unmistakably commonplace� But� you would gain unspeakably if you would learn with me to see some of the poetry and the pathos, the tragedy and the comedy, lying in the experience of a human soul that looks out through dull grey eyes, and that speaks in a voice of quite ordinary tones.

15. �Amos Barton� Discussion Questions Religion: How are religion and religious debates portrayed in the story? What does Eliot suggest should be the role of religion and religious leaders? How is death portrayed in the story? How does the story approach questions of morality/good v. evil?

16. �Amos Barton�Discussion Questions How are the characters in the story influenced by their social and physical environments? How would you describe the environment? How does Eliot convey a sense of environment? How do gender and class relations influence the characters? What does Eliot seem to say about community?

17. Any Other Questions?

18. Works Cited Eliot, George. Scenes of Clerical Life. Ed. David Lodge. London: Penguin, 1973.

19. End