Martineau, Harriet (1802-1876)

Harriet Martineau and George Eliot met through the Brays' Unitarian connections in 1845 and maintained an intimate relationship through the early 1850s. Eliot described Martineau as “the only English woman who possesses thoroughly the art of writing.” Their relationship was an uneasy one despite their frequent contact-- Martineau was committed to showing the world as it could be while Eliot showed the world as it is. Following George Eliot’s “liaison” with George Henry Lewes (Martineau’s literary rival), Eliot and Martineau contacted each other very little post-1854 but maintained a continued interest in each other’s lives and work.