Scenes of Clerical Life

Description

George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) was an author who became extremely well-known in Victorian high society circles well before her career as a writer truly took off. Scenes of Clerical life shows her early beginnings in producing quality fictional work, while also outlining some of the earliest mentions of themes such as religion and social issues, that Eliot had integrated in her later works as well.

The book basically contains three main stories that mention – although without always placing in the foreground – the lives of three clergymen and the manner in which their lives and the lives of those around them have been affected by religious reform and the differences between dissenting and established religious beliefs and traditions.

The first story, “The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton” talks about a pious clergyman that has been assigned the difficult role of curator of the parish church of Shepperton, and has significant difficulty in becoming an integrated part of the congregation and local society.

“Mr. Gilfil’s Love Story” is the second tale included in Scenes of Clerical Life, talking about the concerns of clergyman Maynard Gilfil, who falls in love with an Italian orphan girl. What makes this love story more difficult, however, is the fact that Tina – as the girl is known – is infatuated with Captain Anthony Wybrow. A complex social situation ensues, showing the effects of religious and social differences even in the most common aspects of life.

Finally, “Janet’s Repentance” follows the story of Reverend Tryan, who faces significant opposition as a newcomer to the town of Milby, due to the fact that he is an evangelical clergyman.

Eliot had inspired her writings from her own childhood town of Warwickshire, describing many of the similar details of religious and social life in the area and managing to present a clear picture of the true impact of religious reform as a whole.
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