Dorothea working for her man

Grayscale illustration of a man and woman in a library sitting at separate desks. The man has his head in hands, the woman writes.

The illustration depicts Dorothea Brooke assisting her husband, Edward Casaubon, in his library, a scene that captures her transition from an idealistic bride to a weary clerical laborer. It is significant because it visualizes the central tragedy of their marriage: Dorothea’s vibrant intellectual energy is sacrificed to sustain Casaubon’s stagnant, ultimately futile pursuit of the "Key to all Mythologies." "In the library Dorothea observed that he had newly arranged a row of his note-books on a table, and now he took up and put into her hand a wellknown volume, which was a table of contents to all the others. 'You will oblige me, my dear,' he said, seating himself; 'if instead of other reading this evening, you will go through this aloud, pencil in hand, andat each point where I say mark, will make a cross with your pencil'" (Book 5, Chapter 48).

Stephens, Alice Barber (1858-1932)

George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org

1894

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Stephens, Alice Barber (1858-1932), Dorothea working for her man, George Eliot Illustrations Gallery, George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/83560