Middlemarch

Description

Middlemarch by George Eliot

First published in serialized form, Middlemarch is one of Eliot’s finest and most unconventional novels. Like many of her works, it is a portrait of small-town English life.

The novel follows several different characters and families who reside in the town of Middlemarch in England. We are first introduced to sisters Dorothea and Celia as they embark on new marriages. Celia happily marries Sir James Chettam while her sister makes the odd choice of marrying Mr. Casaubon, an elderly, sour scholar. Dorothea, who looks forward to assisting Casaubon in his studies, is optimistic about the match. However. Casaubon proves to be a jealous and withholding husband who makes Dorothea miserable. Dorothea meets the young Will Ladislaw, her husband’s cousin, with whom she has an instant connection. Casaubon despises Will and becomes jealous and begins treating his new wife very poorly.

The novel also follows the reckless Fred Vincy, an irresponsible young man determined to marry the lovely Mary Garth, daughter of friends of his family. Fred’s sister, Rosamond, is equally inept with money, and has set her eyes upon the promising new physician in town, Dr. Lydgate. Though Lydgate is warned that he and Rosamond are a terrible match, he marries her anyway and soon feels the negative consequences of his choice.

Greediness, foolishness, determination, stubbornness, and foolhardiness are some of the characteristics of the motley citizens of Middlemarch. Many are also compelled by love and devotion to one another, and their selfless choices are rewarded while those who foolishly disregard logic and personal responsibility are left floundering in their own mistakes. Each character seems inextricably tied to the others, and in this way, Eliot makes incisive observations about English Victorian society. Middlemarch was written as a call for change. Today, it is considered one of the great Victorian novels.
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