Silas Marner
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BooL £ita Copi^B?. COPYRIGHT DEPOSm,6o GPO SILAS MARNER The Western Series of English and American Classics General Editors S. R. Hadsell, Professor of Englisli, University of Oklahoma and Geo. C. Wells, High School Inspector, State of Oklahoma Ready 1926 Irving. A Tour on the Prairies. Edited by Geo. C. Wells, High School Inspector of Oklahoma and Joseph B. Thoburn, Secretary Oklahoma Historical Society. Eliot. Silas Marner. Edited by the General Editors. Milton. Shorter Poems. Edited by L. J. Barton, Pro¬ fessor of Modern Languages, East Central Teachers’ College. Scott. The Lady of the Lake. Edited by Grace E. Jencke, Head of the Department of English, Southwestern 'Teachers’ College. Stevenson. Treasure Island. Edited by the General Ed¬ itors. Sheridan. The Rivals. Edited by J. L. Rader, Librarian, University of Oklahoma. Goldsmith. She Stoops to Conquer. Edited by J. L. Rader, Librarian, University of Oklahoma. Tennyson. Idylls of the King. Edited by the General Editors. Scott. Ivanhoe. Edited by Bessie M. Huff, Head of the Department of English, Muskogee High School. (Janu¬ ary, 1927.) Others in preparation. ^ I \ » "I** .' - "I »• » ■ I i ,if -- V t < < A I r I t I I i \ V4 < '• •" • I >•• 1 • V V )> GEORGE ELIOT The Western Series of English and American Classics Silas Marner By GEORGE :^LIOT Edited for School Use BY S. R. Hadsell Professor of English, ZJnwersity of Oklahoma AND Geo. C. Wells High School Inspector, ^State of- Oklahoma HARLOW PUBLISHING COMPANY Oklahoma City 1926 Copyright, 1926, by Harlow Publishing Co. % Hi ■0 4) AUG 2 3’26 © Cl A897954 CONTENTS Page Preface to Students. i A Lesson in the Biography of George Eliot. xi Silas Marker Part I. Chapter I . 1 Chapter II.18 Chapter III.30 Chapter IV.47 Chapter V.58 Chapter VI . 66 Chapter VII.81 Chapter VIII.89 Chapter IX .... 102 Chapter X.. 113 Chapter XI . 136 Chapter XII. 166 Chapter XIII.175 Chapter XIV.186 Chapter XV.205 Part II Chapter XVI.207 Chapter XVII.231 Chapter XVIII.247 Chapter XIX . 253 Chapter XX . L /.267 Chapter XXI.271 Conclusion.276 Suggestions to Teachers . '.281 List of Illustrations Page George Eliot.Frontispiece Graphic Analysis of Silas Marner .... viii George Eliot’s Birthplace ..xii Griff House.xv George Eliot’s Home at Coventry . xx A Cottage at Raveloe.211 Dame School Attended by George Eliot . 223 PREFACE TO STUDENTS The question with which we may begin our study of Silas Marnwr is this: Why study this classic? The first answer is that by the study of this classic we may increase our knowledge of history, of life, of structure, and of style. The story gives information about England in the early part of the nineteenth century, especial¬ ly in that it shows us the home life of a typical English Squire, and the life of an English village. Notice the opening sentences of paragraphs 1 and 2. 'Tn the days when the spinning-wheels hummed busily in the farm houses—and even great ladies, clothed in silk and thread lace, had their toy spinning-wheels of polished oak—there might be seen in the districts far away among the lanes, or deep in the bosom of the hills, certain pallid men, who, by the side of the brawny country-folk, look¬ ed like the remnants of a disinherited race.’' “In the early years of this century, such a linen- weaver, named Silas Marner, worked at his voca¬ tion in a stone cottage that stood among the nutty hedgerows near the village of Raveloe, and not far from the edge of a deserted stonepit.” To the young and inexperienced, the book gives a summary of the experience of certain adults who were tried by the events of a life. The life of a young girl is revealed from the time that she was two until she was eighteen. In one or two instances, Eppie had to make very important de¬ cisions. What would you have done under like conditions? There is also the testing of •Godfrey 11 Silas Marker Cass from young manhood up to middle age. As you get to know him, will you think that one can ever make entirely right a wrong that one has once done? There is the experience of Silas, the miser, the outcast, who learned in a bitter school that a man cannot live to himself alone, and that a little child is more important than a pot of gold. There is the wisdom of Dolly Winthrop who, ig¬ norant of philosophy and theology, was neverthe¬ less able to resolve her own doubts and those of Silas. Life had taught her philosophy. We shall know what to do when the test comes, if we have had experience. Through books we gather experi¬ ence quickly and surely. A classic is something which has stood the test of time; it lives. It has given information and fine feeling to a great many people. We have reached the stage in English Literature where not to know Silas Marner may leave us out of the conversation; for it is universally known. Taste it and you will see why. It is big enough to have some appeal to all classes of readers. You can read it several times and enjoy it each time just as you used to enjoy the repetition of “The Three Bears,” “Little Red Riding Hood,” or “Jack and the Bean-stalk.” Those were classics, too, chil¬ dren’s classics. One can learn by the study of this book some¬ thing about the structure of a novel. We might say, something about the rules of this game. Those who enjoy a game best know the rules. See what particular work the introduction does. No¬ tice how the author sets the story moving and Preface iii then makes you wait, after she has caught your attention, until she goes back fifteen years to tell you what happened to Silas before he came to Raveloe. The introduction also sets the stage, and introduces some of the important characters. You will see where the turns or climaxes are; you will appreciate the big climax at the point where Silas finds Eppie asleep before his fire. You will see how two groups of people, the Red House group and the Raveloe village group, go their way apart, and how at times they mix, and meet. You will see thus how a novelist sometimes manages to weave a main and a sub-plot together. You will learn how a novelist manages suspense, that is, whether she makes you wait, or whether she makes the people in the story wait. You will learn the true meaning of such technical critical terms as plot, climax, suspense, developing char¬ acter, humorous cho,racter, denouement, catastro¬ phe, and so on. If you will watch closely you will see that George Eliot studied the psychology of Silas, and presented him to her readers in such a way that he seems to grow from bad to better and good within twenty-one rather short chapters. This was a new experiment in the novel. You can learn something here about an appro¬ priate English prose style. Style, they say, is the man; here it is the woman. If the woman is not good, the style will not ring true. But Mary Ann Evans is sincere. These people are her brain chil¬ dren. She is a just mother. She does not permit Silas to spank Eppie, but she allows him to put her down in the coal-hole. She is honest, and IV Silas Marker courageous, and merciful. The book is like a let¬ ter from a friend. You will enjoy the words she uses, and the phrases she makes. You will like the way she has her characters talk. Certain ex¬ pressions will make you laugh; others may make you cry, for as Chaucer says, ‘Tity runneth soon in gentle heart.” The author pitied and loved and laughed at her book people, we may be sure. While you are studying the style (manner of ex¬ pression) , in this dassic, let us hope that because you have been in good company for a season you, too, will talk and write well. We have said that the study of this book will broaden your knowledge. It will also strengthen your ideals. Plainly we see that Dunstan Cass was wrong, and that Godfrey Cass was cowardly and selfish until he repented. But Godfrey had to pay, and he caused innocent people to suffer. We see that Nancy was frail and selfish and hu¬ man, but, after all, true blue. Eppie was a good girl, and Aaron was a good boy; they deserved their happiness. They respected and honored their parents. The philosophy and religion of Dolly are safe. Silas suffered for his mistakes, forsook material things, became social and help¬ ful; he won self-respect and the respect of his neighbors. We sympathize with these characters and we judge them according to our standards of right and wrong. When we see the bad clearly and the good plainly, our ideals are made stronger. We glow when a good deed is done in a book, as we do when a good deed is done in real life. Preface V We study Silas Marner, in the third place, to deepen our emotions. Feeling may be classified as good, better, and best. At first. Silas had weak, evil feelings about God and man; when he opened his heart to Eppie, he improved until he became a true Christian and a true gentleman. What if William Dane was not punished? Is revenge a fine feeling? Isn't forgiveness finer? We feel as we read, with Silas, with Nancy, with Godfrey, with Eppie.