The document discusses George Eliot, a 19th century English novelist who used a male pen name. She used a pen name to avoid being stereotyped as only writing lighthearted romances, as was common for female authors at the time. The document also includes a poem by George Eliot titled "Count That Day Lost" which discusses counting a day as lost if you have not performed kind acts for others.

1. Is it a good day for you?

2. Or maybe you prefer watching TV?

3. Or just going shopping?

4. Eating a dessert?

5. …or just hug a friend?

6. Read a book to others?

7. Look at the pictures. Which do you think show “a good day”?
Explain why?

8. Mary Anne Evans (1819 –1880), better
known by her pen name George Eliot, was an
English novelist, journalist and translator, and
one of the leading writers of the Victorian era .
She used a male pen name, she said, to ensure
her works would be taken seriously
Female authors were published
under their own names during
Eliot's life, but she wanted to
escape the stereotype of women
only writing lighthearted romances.

9. to ease -
a glance -
to deny -
a deed -
self-denying
deed -
set of sun -
soul -
trace -
to cheer -
worse -

10. Count That Day Lost
If you sit down at set of sun
And count the acts that you have done,
And, counting, find
One self-denying deed, one word
That eased the heart of him who heard,
One glance most kind
That fell like sunshine where it went --
Then you may count that day well spent.
But if, through all the livelong day,
You've cheered no heart, by yea or nay --
If, through it all
You've nothing done that you can trace
That brought the sunshine to one face --
No act most small
That helped some soul and nothing cost --
Then count that day as worse than lost.
George Eliot