Would you say George Elliot was a feminist?

Question

I was just wondering if you would consider her a feminist. She was a social activist, but I think she was also a feminist for her time. She lived a life outside her social norms as well which also point to this. She beleived in rights for women. Just curious. I have not seen any other feminist from england before her, except Mary Wollenscraft.

Answer 1

Yes. She chose to live maritally with Lewes, who was a married man and she despised the narrow social values which prevailed in her era and restricted women to a limited role. Her last partner, whom she married a few months before her death was much younger than her, which was also frowned upon at the time.

Though in Middlemarch her character of Dorothea does not want to avoid marriage, Elliot makes it clear that "if there was a power to measure the female brain the social lot of women might be treated with more exactitude".

Answer 2

Yes she was, and a true feminist, rather than a man-hating woman who puts down women who don't make the same life-choices that they do (what passes for a feminist nowadays). Incidentally, Mary Shelley was the daughter of two feminist academics, so you might want to look into that, if you're interested in the subject.

Answer 3

There are plenty of other feminists apart from Mary Wollstonecraft . I'm not sure if George eliot was a feminist, there is nothing particularly feminist or even interesting about Middlemarch (in my opinion!!) but maybe she was showcasing domestic life, without commenting on it, so that we, as readers, could question it ourselves?

Answer 4

Of course George Eliot was a feminist. However, Feminism comes in different categories; and she was not a radical feminist. She was basically ahead of her time; and a great inaugurator of women's rights to be independent.

Answer 5

The word "feminist" has no meaning when considering her social circumstances. You can't just parachute modern terms into eras where they have no context and no relevance.

Answer 6

Did you know that T.S. Eliot is an anagram of 'toiltes'

Answer 7

she was just ahead of her time..and why is the idiot above talking about TS Elliot

Answer 8

Of course.

Jonnie

Answer 9

yea i think so.