MAES stands for Mary Ann Evans and George Eliot, two of the most influential writers of the Victorian era. Mary Ann Evans, who wrote under the pen name George Eliot, was a novelist, poet, journalist, and translator. Her works include Middlemarch, Silas Marner, and The Mill on the Floss. William West and Edward Clarke were two of her closest friends and confidants. West was a banker and Clarke was a lawyer. They both provided support and guidance to Evans throughout her life and career.