The first volume of George Eliot's life, arranged and edited by her husband J. W. Cross, offers an intimate look at her development from her birth in Warwickshire through her twenty-first year and beyond. Using her own letters and journals, the narrative reveals her deep affection for her family, her close relationships with lifelong friends, and her intense inner struggles with belief and duty.
The text details her early education in Nuneaton and Coventry, her mastery of languages, and the pivotal turning point marked by her departure from conventional religion under the influence of new philosophical and historical ideas, including Charles Hennell's Inquiry Concerning the Origin of Christianity. It covers her exhaustive labors in translating Strauss's Leben Jesu, a task that tested her physical and mental endurance while cementing her place in advanced critical circles. The account also reflects her profound sorrow during the long illness and eventual death of her father, Robert Evans, which left her temporarily desolate before she found solace in travel and a peaceful sojourn in Geneva. Throughout, the letters emphasize her lifelong need for deep personal attachment, her relentless pursuit of truth, and the emotional complexities of a powerful intellect struggling against the limitations of her environment.
