Mary Ann ( Marian ) Evans ( 22 November 1819 â `` 22 December 1880 ) , better known by her pen name George Eliot , was an English novelist . She was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era . Mary Anne ( Mary Ann , Marian ) Evans ( 22 November 1819 â `` 22 December 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 .