After reading both of these literary critiques, I get a sense that the role of realism was very controversial in 19th century Britain. More specifically, it sounds like many critics judged novels based on their impact on readers and society as a whole. Elaine Freedgood included a quote from the novelist and critic Vernon Lee’s ‘Dialogue on Novels’ that expressed my own discomfort with the standards that were applied to realism: “[I]t is extraordinary how aesthetical questions invariably end in ethical ones when treated by English people.” Realist novels are limited in their ability to create real, quantifiable social change, and ethical standards are therefore somewhat inappropriate. Although many critics insisted on burdening these works of art with some sort of social responsibility, novels are better judged through aesthetic evaluation. Freedgood also points out that, in the absence of the social sciences, realist novels were partly viewed as sociological investigations. Considering that people expected a certain level of honesty from realist authors, it is easier to understand why these writers were often held responsible for ethical questions surrounding their portrayal of social conditions. It is important to note that both readers and writers were well aware of how subjective accounts can distort reality, and were likely to take any information presented in novels with a grain of salt.

George Elliot’s excerpt was also quite insightful. It was interesting to hear a celebrated author speak on this subject with such convincing rhetoric. Someone wrote to Elliot concerning one of his characters not exhibiting proper behavior, and the author’s response was very profound and compelling. Elliot argued that he was obliged to present the world as he perceived it, and to provide an honest testimony of what life was like from his point of view. According to Elliot, much nuance is lost when characters are flattened into ideal archetypes, and it is his job as an artist to portray real people with flaws: “great men are overestimated and small men are insupportable; that if you love a woman without ever looking back on your love as folly, she must die while you are courting her; and if you maintain the slightest belief in human heroism, you must never make a pilgrimage to see the hero.” Elliot argues that the reality of human nature is often unpleasant, but without realistic representation, his contemporaries may never be exposed to a sincere reflection of what makes people human.