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thecatladybooknook_penny's review against another edition
Will go back to finish the last novella
msrichardsreads89's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
paralyticstates's review against another edition
2.5
to preface i only read the janet’s repentance section for a class on addiction in victorian lit. there were some good points, and its sympathetic treatment of janet was good i think. however i was not a fan of the (spoilers) find god/forgive & nurse your abusive husband on his deathbed plot at the end </3 overall fine i guess but not that good and i skimmed several sections
akajahhssnznbzbz's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rebeccaasavage's review against another edition
4.0
George Eliot at her purest. The themes that shape her work are here in their rawest form. I’m so glad I ended with her first published work.
jazose's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
sarahepierce's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
booksbythewindow's review against another edition
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2022/04/20/scenes-of-clerical-life/
Summary and Overall Thoughts: Scenes of Clerical Life is made up of three shorter works of Eliot's, all revolving around clergy members. The first work included in Scenes of Clerical Life is ‘The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton’, Eliot’s first fiction work and probably the one that most closely resembles some of her later works. In fact, early on in the story Eliot’s unnamed narrator introduces the reader to one of the writing philosophies that would come to define Eliot’s work throughout her life, in defending the decision to focus on an ‘insignificant’ character: ‘is there not a pathos in their very insignificance – in our comparison of their dim and narrow existence with the glorious possibilities of that human nature which they share’ (p.37).
Probably the most creative of the three works is ‘Mr Gilfil’s Love Story’, although this was probably the one I found least engaging of the three. Eliot tells the story in an interesting way, flashing back to share information with the reader that the congregation who loved Mr Gilfil so much did not have access to.
The final work, ‘Janet’s Repentance’ was unexpectedly the one which I most enjoyed. Again, taking place in a small, country town, it is ostensibly about the tensions across the town after the arrival of a curate who is teaching the gospel rather than the easy moralism the town prefers.
I was not at all sure what to expect from Scenes of Clerical Life but I found myself pleasantly surprised by the stories included. These three works are an interesting picture of Eliot’s start in fiction, with many elements that will later be expanded on in her later works.
Summary and Overall Thoughts: Scenes of Clerical Life is made up of three shorter works of Eliot's, all revolving around clergy members. The first work included in Scenes of Clerical Life is ‘The Sad Fortunes of the Rev. Amos Barton’, Eliot’s first fiction work and probably the one that most closely resembles some of her later works. In fact, early on in the story Eliot’s unnamed narrator introduces the reader to one of the writing philosophies that would come to define Eliot’s work throughout her life, in defending the decision to focus on an ‘insignificant’ character: ‘is there not a pathos in their very insignificance – in our comparison of their dim and narrow existence with the glorious possibilities of that human nature which they share’ (p.37).
Probably the most creative of the three works is ‘Mr Gilfil’s Love Story’, although this was probably the one I found least engaging of the three. Eliot tells the story in an interesting way, flashing back to share information with the reader that the congregation who loved Mr Gilfil so much did not have access to.
The final work, ‘Janet’s Repentance’ was unexpectedly the one which I most enjoyed. Again, taking place in a small, country town, it is ostensibly about the tensions across the town after the arrival of a curate who is teaching the gospel rather than the easy moralism the town prefers.
I was not at all sure what to expect from Scenes of Clerical Life but I found myself pleasantly surprised by the stories included. These three works are an interesting picture of Eliot’s start in fiction, with many elements that will later be expanded on in her later works.