Tragedy and society: The novels of George Eliot

Eliot's belief that reform must begin with the individual led naturally to her appreciation of tragedy as the best means of arousing human sympathy and inspiring social activity. I locate Eliot's early social ideas in her essays, drawing attention to similar ideas about reform in the writings of her contemporaries, particularly Feuerbach and Marx. I also discuss the aesthetic components of Eliot's theory of tragedy: the collision between the individual and the general, the fellowship of human suffering, the pressure of inheritance, and the tragic actor's submission to social laws.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2011

Author dc:creator

• Marck, Nancy Anne

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kramer, Dale

• Literature, English

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 1992 Marck, Nancy Anne

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

AAI9215853
(UMI)AAI9215853

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/19415