George Eliot’s philosophy of 'meliorism' suggests that:
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: The world improves gradually through conscious human effort and sympathy
Meliorism is a central theme in Eliot's work. She believed that while human life is full of tragedy, small acts of kindness and 'enlarged sympathy' contribute to the slow, steady improvement of the human condition.
Keep practicing
More George Eliot questions
- Which character in 'Middlemarch' is revealed to be a hypocritical banker with a dark past involving the theft of an inheritance?
- In 'Adam Bede', which character is a Methodist lay preacher who represents a selfless and compassionate form of Christianity?
- Which Eliot novella is a rare experiment in the supernatural, featuring a narrator with the power of clairvoyance and a morbid obsession wi…
- In 'Middlemarch', Will Ladislaw is often viewed as a controversial character because of his 'Bohemian' nature and his relationship with:
- The 'flood' that concludes 'The Mill on the Floss' is an example of what literary device common in George Eliot’s work?
- What is the primary trade of the protagonist in 'Adam Bede'?