Silas Marner

by George Eliot

Silas Marner: Style 1 key example

Style
Explanation and Analysis:

George Eliot's writing is always intensely focused on representing the development of character and the growth of the personality. This means that Silas Marner's language involves lots of personal reflection and the thorough description of emotions. Eliot's long and sometimes meandering sentences echo the thought patterns of her characters. The is particularly true when the book employs free indirect discourse—a technique in which the narrator briefly takes on the perspective of a character. Instead of getting immediately to a point, Eliot's writing works exhaustively through ideas, reflecting the indirect nature of human cognition and decision-making.