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Women, Literature and Finance in Victorian Britain pp 139–177Cite as

Palgrave Macmillan

George Eliot: Money’s Past and Money’s Future

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Abstract

This chapter considers the ethics of inheriting money perceived to be tainted by a corrupt past and the choices that Eliot’s characters face when considering how to invest for the future. Henry situates Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda in the context of the investment cultures of Eliot’s late career, specifically her relationship to her financial advisor and future husband, John Walter Cross. She pays particular attention to Eliot’s uniquely progressive portfolio of diversified investments, overseen by Cross, which put her at the forefront of modern investing practices.

Went into City. Discussed shares (and a chop) with Johnnie Cross.

(Lewes Diary 17 January 1873; Eliot 1954 – 1978b , V:368)

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  1. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Nancy Henry

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Henry, N. (2018). George Eliot: Money’s Past and Money’s Future. In: Women, Literature and Finance in Victorian Britain. Palgrave Studies in Literature, Culture and Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94331-2_5

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