Mind, Millinery, and Meaning: A Feminist Reappraisal of George Eliot’s Critique

The Silly Novels by Lady Novelists is an essay published in 1856 by “George Eliot” which was the pseudo-name for female Victorian writer Mary Ann Evans. The essay criticizes a particular genre, comprising of novels typically written by women, which was considered fatuous unrealistic, and preachy. This type of literature was especially famous amongst Victorian women at the time. Eliot uses the term “Mind and Millinery novels” to describe the literature she rejected. Mind represents intellectual depth and introspection whereas Millinery is a term used to describe fashion so together these two terms indicate that these types of novels tried to depict profoundly deep issues in a superficial, fashionable, and decorated manner.

To understand the undertones that this essay carries we first must dissect what the term “silly novels” implies in this context. In Victorian England, “silly” was an adjective often used harshly against women, especially in intellectual spaces. Calling a woman silly wasn't just about being artistically bad but it was undermining the entire gender's intellectual credibility. Men often used the term to belittle women’s issues and diminish their voice in ways that reflected deeply rooted beliefs about female inferiority, emotional fragility, and even intellectual inadequacy. The term functioned not only as a description of foolish behavior but as a tool of control to silence women's ideas and reinforce misogyny. It was a subtle way of saying “You don’t understand the world. You’re being dramatic. You should leave the thinking to men.”

The fact that this term has been used by a woman- Mary Ann Evans to describe other women, can be considered a revealing factor that her critique stems from a place of internalized misogyny. She perhaps believed that women should not create literature within a genre that is unacceptable to men. So ultimately, it can be argued that her critique wasn't just constructive but also a way to demean women’s writing in a way that a Victorian man would have at the time.

Another argument would be that George Eliot does not oppose women writing novels but she passionately believes that their literary potential could be used in ways to make an impact. Her critique aims to encourage women to write with greater intellectual depth and moral seriousness in a way that reflects real human experience. She is right to assume that these novels with recurring themes of a brooding hero and an unrealistically perfect heroine reinforce narratives of Victorian society that are impossible to achieve. These narratives may even profoundly impact young women who are not like the heroine and are not conventionally attractive or wealthy. She aimed to encourage women to contribute to the literature in significant ways and not give into empty verbosity and false elegance. Eliot was also sympathetic to the root causes that would have driven women to write such “silly” novels. She reflects upon the economic realities that led many women to become writers. She states that “We had imagined that destitute women turned novelists, as they turned governesses because they had no other “ladylike” means of getting their bread”. She draws attention to the limited options available to the middle-class women at the time who desperately needed to earn a living in a socially respectable manner.

On one hand, it can be said that Eliot was a feminist for wanting women to redirect their narratives from ones that were originally created by patriarchy, by creating higher standards in women’s writing. On the other hand, one might question who defined what a “high standard” is in the first place. Why should it be so unacceptable for “silly” novels to exist, and for women to fantasize about a perfect life and perfect hero? And isn’t feminism all about freedom of choice and self-expression for women? The truth is, regardless of the arguable criticism that these novels by lady novelists might receive, they had a well-established audience and market for them. Many Victorian women were drawn to sentimental and romantic stories because they offered them an emotional and imaginative escape from the restrictive realities of their own harsh lives. This attraction to escapist fiction reveals both a craving for a meaningful identity and a resignation to the confinement of the female imagination. George Eliot recognized this tension. Her criticism in the essay is feminist in spirit, as she wanted women to expect more from literature and themselves.

However, this is not to say that “silly novels” cannot coexist with more complex and deeply psychological ones written by women. While feminism champions freedom of choice and self-expression, it also involves embracing diverse perspectives. It's important to accept all forms of women’s writing while continuing to resist patriarchy’s attempts to suppress the female voice.