George Henry Lewes (1817–1878) English philosopher, critic, and man of letters, born in London. Largely self-educated after an itinerant schooling in England, Jersey, and Brittany; briefly tried medicine and the stage before settling into writing. Career and range Lewes was a defining example of the Victorian polymath-journalist. He wrote extensively on philosophy (championing Auguste Comte's positivism to English readers), literary and drama criticism, biography, and biology/physiology. Key works include A Biographical History of Philosophy (1845–46), The Life and Works of Goethe (1855, still respected as biography), Sea-Side Studies (1858), and Problems of Life and Mind (1874–79, unfinished at death), his major work of philosophical psychology and early psycho-physiology. He also edited the Fortnightly Review (1865–66). Personal life Married to Agnes Jervis in 1841, but the marriage broke down amid mutual infidelities; English law barred him from divorcing her. In 1854 he began an openly unmarried union with novelist Mary Ann Evans — better known as George Eliot — which lasted until his death in 1878. He was instrumental in encouraging her to write fiction and managed her literary career, negotiations, and public image throughout their partnership. Legacy Though a serious and versatile intellectual in his own right, Lewes is now remembered chiefly as George Eliot's partner and champion, somewhat overshadowing his independent contributions to philosophy of science, psychology, and criticism.
3 works on Textopian