First published in 1969. George Eliot is a writer of ordinary human experience, whose work emphasizes commonplace characters and commonplace situations. Her mind, however, was far from ordinary. Professor Adam shows how wit, observation and sympathy, combined with a lucid and energetic intelligence, enabled her to invest the commonplace with complexity and importance. Extracts from George Eliot's major novels illustrate her treatment of character, setting, dialogue and narrative, while the author's commentary discusses the particulars of her artistic procedures and techniques. This title will be of interest to students of literature.