| The image of the dog is a central motif in the work of George Eliot. This thesis explores the use of canine characters and imagery in four George Eliot novels. Dogs become characters in their own right, contributing to and advancing the action of the novel, as well as functioning as emblems of their owners. Of particular interest is the relationship between dogs and women in the novels. A comparison of aspects of the master/pet relation reveals that both domination and affection are often used to maintain power over others.;In chapter one, on Adam Bede, dogs become a means of mediation for the characters as well as the narrator. The next chapter looks at pet/master and male/female relationships in The Mill on the Floss. These relationships often reflect each other in the male desire for power and in the tendency to treat the female as subordinate. The third chapter, on Middlemarch, shows the way in which the dogs in the novel reflect the relationships of the characters to each other. The final chapter examines the use and abuse of power and affection in dominating the central female character in Daniel Deronda. |
