GE to Maria [Mrs. Richard] Congreve, London, 1 August 1869
Title
GE to Maria [Mrs. Richard] Congreve, London, 1 August 1869
Title
GE to Maria [Mrs. Richard] Congreve, London, 1 August 1869
Sender
George Eliot
Recipient
Maria [Mrs. Richard] Congreve
Date(s)
- 1869-08-01
Place
London
Letter Content
GE to Maria [Mrs. Richard] Congreve, London, 1 August 1869
Text: Cross, III, 97.
My last words to you 91 might appear to imply something laughably opposed to my real meaning. "Think of me only as an example" meant -- an example to be avoided. It was an allusion in my mind to the servant girl who, being arrested for theft, said to her fellow-servant, "Take example by me, Sally." With the usual caprice of language, we say, "Make an example of her," in that sense of holding up for a warning, which the poor girl and I intended.
Text: Cross, III, 97.
My last words to you 91 might appear to imply something laughably opposed to my real meaning. "Think of me only as an example" meant -- an example to be avoided. It was an allusion in my mind to the servant girl who, being arrested for theft, said to her fellow-servant, "Take example by me, Sally." With the usual caprice of language, we say, "Make an example of her," in that sense of holding up for a warning, which the poor girl and I intended.
Citation
George Eliot, GE to Maria [Mrs. Richard] Congreve, London, 1 August 1869, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/93616