Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot
This article explores how George Eliot shows fathers in domestic life in her fiction by focusing on the core components of Victorian fatherhood named by Claudia Nelson, that is, “authority, guidance and financial support.” In the 19th century Britain, fathers were having privileges of ownership and...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2022-07-01
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| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221113821 |
| _version_ | 1818189666025734144 |
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| author | Tahira Jabeen Tribhuwan Kumar Mehrunnisa M. Yunus |
| author_facet | Tahira Jabeen Tribhuwan Kumar Mehrunnisa M. Yunus |
| author_sort | Tahira Jabeen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores how George Eliot shows fathers in domestic life in her fiction by focusing on the core components of Victorian fatherhood named by Claudia Nelson, that is, “authority, guidance and financial support.” In the 19th century Britain, fathers were having privileges of ownership and authority while mothers were confined to nurturing and comforting in domestic life. Most of the researchers on fathers in Eliot’s novels have tried to analyze the father-daughter conflicted relationship from a psychological, or Freudian, perspective. Alternatively, this study by drawing upon the theories of Lucian Goldmann and Alan Swingwood, focuses on the representation of fatherhood by Eliot with the help of comprehensive and interdisciplinary supporting literary, social, and historical resources from the Victorian age. The article argues that Eliot brings up the problems of patriarchy and authority of fathers of the transitional period of the 19th century. Eliot emphasizes that fathers are actually aware of their responsibilities even if they are not always able to carry them out completely. In middle class families, the failure or success of the father as head of the family has a deep impact on the other members of the home. The article concludes that by showing weaknesses, Eliot actually yearns and desires for the perfect father and admires the “intimacy” of “rare manly fathers” of the 19th century. Thus, Eliot idealizes future where individuals recognize and fulfill their duties and avow social and familial bonds. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T23:46:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f82e69bffc2341bf83efa4705807ec64 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T23:46:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-f82e69bffc2341bf83efa4705807ec642022-12-22T00:45:37ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402022-07-011210.1177/21582440221113821Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George EliotTahira Jabeen0Tribhuwan Kumar1Mehrunnisa M. Yunus2The University of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, PakistanPrince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Saudi ArabiaPrince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, Saudi ArabiaThis article explores how George Eliot shows fathers in domestic life in her fiction by focusing on the core components of Victorian fatherhood named by Claudia Nelson, that is, “authority, guidance and financial support.” In the 19th century Britain, fathers were having privileges of ownership and authority while mothers were confined to nurturing and comforting in domestic life. Most of the researchers on fathers in Eliot’s novels have tried to analyze the father-daughter conflicted relationship from a psychological, or Freudian, perspective. Alternatively, this study by drawing upon the theories of Lucian Goldmann and Alan Swingwood, focuses on the representation of fatherhood by Eliot with the help of comprehensive and interdisciplinary supporting literary, social, and historical resources from the Victorian age. The article argues that Eliot brings up the problems of patriarchy and authority of fathers of the transitional period of the 19th century. Eliot emphasizes that fathers are actually aware of their responsibilities even if they are not always able to carry them out completely. In middle class families, the failure or success of the father as head of the family has a deep impact on the other members of the home. The article concludes that by showing weaknesses, Eliot actually yearns and desires for the perfect father and admires the “intimacy” of “rare manly fathers” of the 19th century. Thus, Eliot idealizes future where individuals recognize and fulfill their duties and avow social and familial bonds.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221113821 |
| spellingShingle | Tahira Jabeen Tribhuwan Kumar Mehrunnisa M. Yunus Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot SAGE Open |
| title | Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot |
| title_full | Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot |
| title_fullStr | Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot |
| title_short | Fathers, Daughters, and Domesticity in the Early Novels of George Eliot |
| title_sort | fathers daughters and domesticity in the early novels of george eliot |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221113821 |
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