ELP

A BOOK REVIEW SILAS MARNER

BOOK SILAS MANNER

Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe is a dramatic novel by George Eliot. Her third novel, it was first published in 1861. An outwardly simple tale of a reclusive weaver, in its strong realism it represents one of Eliot's most sophisticated treatments of her attitude to religion

AUTHOR

Aged 30 by the Swiss artist Alexandre Louis Franois d'Albert Durade (180486) Mary Anne Evans Born 22 November 1819

South Farm, Arbury Hall, Nuneaton,

Warwickshire, England 22 December 1880 (aged 61) 4 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, London, England

Died

Resting place

Highgate Cemetery (East), Highgate, London

Pen name
Occupation

George Eliot
Novelist

LOVE & HOPE

RELIGION & COMMUNITY

HUMOUR

THEME

FRIENDSHIP

JEALOUSY

RELATIONSHIP

CHARACTER

Silas Marner a weaver and miser who is cast out of Lantern Yard Godfrey Cass eldest son of the local squire Dunstan Cass Godfrey's greedy brother with a penchant for alcohol and manipulation, and the real culprit in the theft of Silas's bag of gold Molly Farren Godfrey's first (and secret) wife, who has a child by him

Eppie child of Molly and Godfrey, who is cared for by Silas after the death of her mother.
Nancy Lammeter Godfrey Cass' second wife, Aaron Winthrop son of Dolly, who marries Eppie at the end of the novel.

Dolly Winthrop mother to Aaron; godmother to Eppie. Sympathetic to Silas.

William Dane William Dane is Silas former best friend, Sarah Silas' fiance in Lantern Yard, who subsequently marries his treacherous friend William Dane.

SYNOPSIS

"Silas Marner" is a wonderful story of maintaining perspective in life - a tale extremely comparable to Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol". In the height of his youth, when he is healthy, happy, and totally in love, young Silas is betrayed, cast down, and taught the 'lesson' that only the criminal and avaricious get ahead in life. He moves to a new town and abandons any attempt to connect with the society around him, instead focusing on hoarding his wealth and lovingly counting his money nightly. When his precious hoard is stolen, Silas is again crushed, but the arrival of a small "angel", a little orphan girl with golden curls, starts him down the long road to redemption.

CRITICAL REVIEW

On the surface, the book has a strong moral tract; the bad characters like Dunstan Cass get their just deserts, while the good, pitiable characters like Silas Marner are ultimately richly rewarded. Although it seems like a simple moral story with a happy ending, George Eliot's text includes several pointed criticisms of organized religion, the role of the gentry, and the negative impacts of industrialisation. It was written during the Industrial Revolution and may be a reaction to it.

RECOMMENDATION

However, the first few chapters felt very rushed. The characters do not develop properly.

-The author should write a bit more in details for the first part so the reader can know more about the Silas Manner background.

Other than that too much time is spent on the spineless and flaky character of Godfrey Cass.

- This is quite wasting time and readers feel quite boring and frustrated. Author should simplify a bit about this part.