I think I might have to scrap my original thesis after all -- the biographical evidence feels a bit sketchy to me, not enough to base 6 pages' worth on (I'm still looking for more though!). I kind of want to bang my head into the wall. Right now I'm thinking about perhaps reflecting how GE's relationship with the men in her life are affecting her portrayals of the men in DD. This may or may not work out...
Here's to hope!
What was your thesis again? Wasn't it something about the way Deronda isn't much of a realistic character, but Gwendolen is? I'm mentioning this in my paper in a paragraph or so, but I think Bodenheimer's "The Real Life of Mary Ann Evans" is helpful regarding this topic. The letters she wrote after Middlemarch was published offer some insight into her feelings of following that book's success. And you can also contrast her style in Deronda with her earlier intentions in her essays "Silly Novels by Lady Novelists," and "A Natural History of German Life," which deal with realism. I'm not sure if that's enough for 6 pages, but it might help if you haven't changed your mind already!
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