1. ‘Silas Marner’ by George Eliot
English Literature
Component 2
Section B
‘Silas Marner’ by George Eliot
When a lonely, luckless old man is robbed of his life’s savings, it seems that fate has played one last cruel trick on him – until the mysterious appearance of a homeless, golden-haired little girl opens an unexpected new chapter in his life, bringing a breath of innocence and the healing gift of love to the embittered weaver of Raveloe- Silas Marner.

2. Engage What can I infer? What do I know? What can I see?
What makes this character look different?
What can I infer?
What do I know?
What can I see?
Engage
What does his expression tell us?
Challenge table 1
What words would you use to describe him?

3. Learning objectives To INVESTIGATE Eliot’s 19th Century England
To RECORD contextual information.
Literacy Objective
Spelling Rule 6. i before e except after c when the sound is ee. EG. believe relieve receive receipt achieve.

4. This is what we’re looking at this half term.

5. What will I be REVISING this LP?
This exam will test, through a source based response, knowledge and understanding of the 19th century prose novel, ‘Silas Marner’. You will be expected to comment upon the context of the prose text, the language, structure and form of the text and key themes, characters and ideas within the text.
AO1
Read, understand and respond to texts. I will learn how to:
• maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response
• use textual references, including quotations, to support and illustrate
interpretations.
AO2
Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject terminology where appropriate.
AO3
Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which
they were written.

6. Context: To understand the context of Silas Marner, you need to know something about the author's background and the times in which she wrote.
This is George Eliot. George Eliot was the pen-name of Mary Ann Evans. Her mother died in 1836 and from then until his death in 1849, she was her father’s housekeeper. After that, she moved to London.
Although she was influenced by the Evangelical preacher, Rev. John Edmund Jones, when younger, she moved in intellectual circles in London that sought to question conventional beliefs.
However, it was not just in this or in taking a male pen-name that she was unconventional. In 1854 she started to live with G H. Lewes. They remained unmarried because he had an estranged wife. After his death, she married John W. Cross, who was an old friend, in 1880.
George Eliot is best known for her novels but published a variety of work, including articles, poetry and satirical writing.

7.
The Industrial Revolution took place between the 1790s and 1860s. A time that saw traditional agriculture and manufacturing methods completely changed as a result of more modern technologies. Obviously such huge changes had a massive impact on the social and economic conditions of the time and hence Society changed as a whole. It was possible for people to become very rich but it was also possible for them to lose their livelihood.
When Silas Marner arrives in Raveloe, he and his skills are viewed with suspicion: "... even a settler, if he came from distant parts, hardly ever ceased to be viewed with a remnant of distrust, which would have prevented any surprise if a long course of inoffensive conduct on his part had ended in the commission of a crime; especially if he had any reputation for knowledge, or showed any skill in handicraft. All cleverness, whether in the rapid use of that difficult instrument the tongue, or in some other art unfamiliar to villagers, was in itself suspicious." (Chapter 1).
Raveloe is contrasted with Lantern Yard. When Lantern Yard is gone, it is replaced by a factory.
It is tempting to say that George Eliot is celebrating the permanence of the rural community but this comparison is not the real core of the novel.

8. The Victorian novel
Queen Victoria reigned for over 60 years and there were many important novels written during this time. These novels often included:
the difficulties faced by the poorer people of the time
the challenges that the Industrial Revolution brought
the portrayal of town and country life
a moral lesson, celebrating things like hard work, resolution and love, as well as good fortune - the moral statement in Silas Marner is quite a complex one
a strong narrative voice - there are often comments that give historical perspective
satire, irony and humour
ghost stories and Gothic tales were very popular so the fairy tale feel of some aspects of Silas Marner and the mystery and suspense attached to some aspects of the plot would not have been strange to Eliot’s audience

9. Copyright 2007 www.englishteaching.co.uk
The Plot
Key Points in Plot
Silas Marner is a weaver who was accused and framed of murder and so moved to Raveloe to escape the prejudice.
He has been alone for 15 years and finds pleasure in counting money.
One night he has his money stolen by Dunsey, the son of the squire who robs him after killing his brother Godfrey’s horse at the races.
When Silas finds out he is distraught and integrates within the community for the first time in search of help.
Soon the robbery is talk of the village and there is much speculation as to who did it.
Neighbours try to console Silas and encourage him to return to church. Something he hasn’t done in 15 years
Copyright

10. Copyright 2007 www.englishteaching.co.uk
On the night of the Squire’s party, Godfrey’s secret wife is making her way to the party to reveal her identity with their child. However on the way she takes an overdose and dies outside Silas’s house. The child is left to wander inside.
On finding the child Silas runs up to the party where Godfrey recognises his child and returns to the house with the doctor. He recognises his wife and is relieved his secret is safe.
Silas adopts the child.
As the years pass they return to the church and become accepted and recognised in the community.
Godfrey identifies himself to Eppie but she refuses his offer to live with him and stays with Silas.
Eppie eventually Marries and they live happily ever after with Silas.
Copyright

11. Chapter 1 - Introduction and Lantern Yard events, which were fifteen years earlier.
In the early 1800s, when spinning wheels were popular in farmhouses and prosperous houses alike, solitary men travelled across the English countryside, seeking work as weavers. Inhabitants of small towns were wary of strangers such as these weavers, suspicious of anyone or anything from a world not within their direct experience. Any intelligence or skill possessed by a man was seen as further evidence of his foreignness, or, worse, communion with evil forces.
One linen weaver, named Silas Marner, resides in a cottage near the village of Raveloe, beside a Stone Pit. Local boys are both fearful of and fascinated by Marner and often peek in at his windows, only to receive a gaze of disapproval from the weaver, who dislikes their intrusion. The boys had heard their fathers and mothers hint of Marner’s abilities to cure sickness, no doubt acquired through demon worship. The villagers of Raveloe, who led lives of hard work and possessed little imagination, could not suppose that the same person could possess uncommon skill and benevolence.

12. True or false:
The occupation of weaving is shown to be both a job and a way of life that separates the weaver from regular society.
The weaver often must travel during a time period in which travelling was difficult, and, therefore, rare.
Rural villagers mistake hard-earned skills for evil powers, which emphasizes the backwardness and isolation of these communities.

13. So what do we learn about Silas?
Silas Marner’s occupation as a weaver requires him to spend long hours in solitary employment. His already suspicious occupation is reinforced by his ability to use herbs to cure sickness, which was a “magic” different from prayer to God. Marner’s interaction with the local boys and his ability to help others with natural remedies demonstrate how the villagers misconstrue his natural goodness.

14. Now try these questions:
AO1
Read, understand and respond to texts.
Now try these questions:
At the beginning of the novel how long has Silas lived in Raveloe?
What has discouraged his neighbours from befriending him?
Silas’s fit is seen as a spiritual experience rather than a medical one. Why is this?
How was life in Lantern Yard different for Silas?
Who is William Dane and how does he betray Silas?

15. Independent 10 Lantern yard
List as many things you can remember about Silas’s life in Lantern Yard. Why is this part of the novel important and how does his character here compare with his character at the end of the novel?