Speaking Volumes: Get to know English novelist George Eliot at your Manatee library

This month marks the 200th birthday of English novelist George Eliot.

Born Mary Jane Evans, Eliot was the author of classic literary works such as “Middlemarch,” “Silas Marner” and “The Mill on the Floss.”

During her time, most female novelists and writers produced lighthearted romances. To escape that stereotype, she used a pen name, while also to distance her fiction writing from her work as an editor and critic.

Of course, there have been film and television adaptations of her works.

If you want to learn more about Eliot’s life and works, look no further than your public library.

If you’re looking for a biography, you should seek out Rosemary Ashton’s “George Eliot: A Life.” In addition to discussing Eliot’s works, Ashton also delves into Eliot’s private life and how she left the family circle to be independent at a time when women had virtually no opportunities beyond a housewife or working as a domestic for others.

She moved in unconventional and Bohemian circles, and maintained a long and loving relationship with the previously married G.H. Lewes that caused even her closest friends to ostracize her. Her life was a constant balance between conformity and following the heart. Ashton shows how this conflict informed Eliot’s writing.

The library has several of Eliot’s aforementioned novels, such as “The Mill on the Floss,” and “Middlemarch.”

“The Mill on the Floss” is about Maggie Tulliver, a girl of uncontrollable romantic ideals. But her brother, along with most of society, cannot accept her brashness and vitality.

“Middlemarch,” widely considered the greatest of Eliot’s novels, is set during the early part of the 19th century and is a work of epic scope that centers on the intersecting lives of the inhabitants of the fictitious titular town of Middlemarch.

The themes of the novel are as numerous as its characters. Through the narrative of the story the author addresses the status of women, the nature of marriage, politics, religion and education in the 19th century.

We have Eliot’s first novel, “Adam Bede,” which tells the story of four characters who live in a rural community and are seeking love in all the wrong places. This is available as an e-book through Hoopla, one of our electronic resources.

We also have “Daniel Deronda,” a tale of two people: Gwendolen, a selfish and spirited young woman looking to marry to keep her social position even at the price of a loveless and destructive marriage, and a compassionate young man, Daniel, who becomes involved in the Jewish community and Zionist politics. This novel features a rare contemporary look at Jewish life in Victorian England.

Several of Eliot’s novels have been adapted to television and the movie screen, and we have those covered too. We have the excellent BBC productions of “Middlemarch” and “Silas Marner,” and several the novels themselves are available as audiobooks either on CD or electronically.

These are great for those on the go, and who also love to read.

Call your local branch for more information on available titles.

▪ Central Library — 941-748-5555;

▪ Braden River — 941-727-6079;

▪ Island — 941-778-6341;

▪ Palmetto — 941-722-3333;

▪ Rocky Bluff — 941-723-4821;

▪ South Manatee — 941-755-3892.

You also can access the library via the internet at mymanatee.org/library.

David Breakfield is a Central Library librarian. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald.