An approach to the lives, thought and works of the Bronte sisters and George Eliot. Seen against the background of the dramatically changing world, their attitudes to such vital issues as religion, the child, the woman question , love and sexuality, the self and death are examined.Preface - Acknowledgements - Abbreviations - Principal Dates - Introduction: Some Connections: Biographical and Factual - The Child and Young Person: in Life and in Literature - Matters of Belief: Religious and Ethical Attitudes - The Self and the World - Love and Sexuality - The Woman Question - Tragedy, Death and Eschatology - Conclusion - Notes Select Book List - Index