ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Why was George Eliot important? George Eliot was an English Victorian novelist known for the psychological depth of her characters and her descriptions of English rural life. Her major works included Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), Silas Marner (1861), Middlemarch (1871–72), and Daniel Deronda (1876).

Detailed explanation-2: -Author of the masterpiece novel Middlemarch and numerous other writings, author George Eliot demonstrated the importance of: Taking agency for our own lives-developing our own set of moral guidelines. Developing a resilient sense of self based on our own valuations, not based on how others see us.

Detailed explanation-3: -Set in Middlemarch, a fictional English Midland town, in 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Imperfection of Marriage Marriage and the pursuit of it are central concerns in Middlemarch, but unlike in many novels of the time, marriage is not considered the ultimate source of happiness. Two examples are the failed marriages of Dorothea and Lydgate.