The Lifted Veil

First published in 1858, The Lifted Veil can only be described as an anomaly in Eliot’s canon. A short novella, it sits firmly in the horror genre and is unique for Eliot being written in the first person. The narrator, Latimer, believes he has the ability to see into the future and read other people’s thoughts. He finds himself attracted to Bertha, his brother’s fiancé, for the simple reason that he cannot discern her thoughts and motivations. When the brother dies, Latimer marries Bertha, only to discover that she is hardly innocent.