Identity and Conflict in George Eliot’s Novels: The Self Vs. Society and Female Desire Vs. Male / Patriarchal Rule
Identity and Conflict in George Eliot’s Novels: The Self Vs. Society and Female Desire Vs. Male / Patriarchal Rule

Summary/Abstract: George Eliot represents one of the greatest Victorian writers, as she took over the development of the psychological novel from Samuel Richardson and Jane Austen and depicted Victorian society with both its mundane and daily features. The issues of identity and conflict are currently important as feminists have rediscovered Eliot’s writings, including essays and reviews, as they examined her works from the perspective of female education. This research delineates identity conflicts in George Eliot’s novels and in her private life by examining the manner in which the individual is depicted and/or is assimilated into society, and by analyzing the representation of the self and the female desire in comparison to male rule. We evince instances where the self and female desire are repressed by patriarchal society and other cases where they are compatible with the strict requirements of patriarchal society. We also highlight George Eliot’s enigmatic personality and the issue of her identity that today’s readers and critics examine alike. We consider this research paper relevant from a scientific point of view, as it includes multidisciplinary analytic elements of literary criticism, a psychoanalytic and feminist interpretation of her novels, essays, reviews, and private letters.

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