Middlemarch

By George Eliot

On April 10, 1994, PBS stations nationwide will air the first episode of a lavish six-part Masterpiece Theatre production of Eliot's brilliant work, Middlemarch, hosted by Russell Baker and produced by Louis Marks. The Modern Library is pleased to offer this official companion edition, complete with tie-in art and printed on acid-free paper. Unabridged.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 29, 2008
• ISBN: 9780553904574

George Eliot

George Eliot (1819–1880), born Mary Ann Evans, was an English writer best known for her poetry and novels. She grew up in a conservative environment where she received a Christian education. An avid reader, Eliot expanded her horizons on religion, science and free thinkers. Her earliest writings included an anonymous English translation of The Life of Jesus in 1846 before embracing a career as a fiction writer. Some of her most notable works include Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss(1860) and Silas Marner.

Reviews for Middlemarch

[katiebrugger-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoy the novels of Jane Austen very much, but I prefer George Eliot, because whereas Austen's characters are all people of wealth and leisure, Eliot concerns herself with working people. Even the wealthy heroine in Middlemarch, Dorothea, who doesn't have to work, is dedicated to helping the poor. In addition, where Austen's characters can be somewhat one-dimensional, Eliot creates character who are complex.The story itself is complex, with more major characters than are usual in a novel of this time.

I like this book, but my favorite by George Eliot is Adam Bede.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I cannot say I was overly impressed by this book. I thought the ending weak, compared to the gripping melodrama of The Mill on the Floss. But the develoment, in retrospect, was a delight to review. Only Dorothea Causabon was a character one could have very especial feeling for. Will Ladislaw certainly never became real for me. Both Vincy children--Fred and Rosamund--made me tired. Bulstrode didn't bother me particularly. Lydgate also made me tired. I have trouble being sympathetic to prodigals. I was struck by this instructive passage on Causabon: "hence he determined to abandon himself to the stream of feeling, and perhaps was surprised to find what an exceedingly shallow rill it was. As in droughty regions baptism by immersion could only be performed symbolically, so Mr. Causabon found that sprinkling was the utmost approach to a plunge which his stream would afford him, and he concluded that the poets had much exaggerated the force of masculine passion..." Really the drawing of Causabon was well-done, and I thought him one of the most intriguing characters in this long book! (Longest book I have read since I read Martin du Gard's books in February 1963--books, I might add, which really lived in and have grown in my memory

[amerynth · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have long wanted to read George Eliot's "Middlemarch" -- it is right up my alley.... a Victorian classic that follows the lives of several couples as they live their lives in the English countryside. This is a genre I really enjoy and this book is a classic for a reason.That said, I probably couldn't have picked a worse time to read it... as we've just added a baby to the house and my time for reading cut way down. As a result, I had real difficulty getting into this book-- I couldn't keep track of the various characters for the first 100 pages or so (because I would only read about five or so at a time.) It was very frustrating.After I finally figured out who was who, I started to fly through the book and really enjoyed it. The trials and tribulations of marriages arranged for the wrong reasons always interest me. This probably would have garnered an even higher rating from me, if I hadn't struggled so hard in the beginning.

[glowaurora · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it. Interesting characters and twists in the plot

[sharon.flesher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've often seen this listed as one of the greatest novels in the English language, and occasionally as THE greatest novel. A friend's opinion is that it's a set of essays bound by a romantic plot. The characters are rich and interesting and give a sense of the diversity of personalities in a 19th-century English village (although, as typical of most British writers of this era, aside from Dickens, the few impoverished lowest-class characters are static). If I knew more about the political history of the time, I think I would have a better appreciation of the novel's greatness.

[jarvenpa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have a customer, an old gentleman who has written many books himself, who insists that Middlemarch is the best novel ever written. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but it is superb, and worth reading if only for the character of Dorothea. And the way the weather, as in silent films, uncannily accompanies the underlying emotional turning points in the novel.

[paolam-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There is a reason why classic stand the test of time: they are quite simply great books. This is one of them, and what really struck me is how perceptive Eliot is in portraying the subtlest nuances in character. There are may "confrontations" between characters that are memorable to me, in which a wall of silence and incomprehension appears, exchange after exchange, between two lovers, between two friends, between people who would like to say so much more but cannot, and we can all see and comprehend why they cannot, and identify our own experiences with what happens in the novel.
There is a sense in which the end does not matter - what matters is the development of the characters and the ripening of life and experience. A beautiful book.

[aliceunderskies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sorry I waited so long to pick this up--an instant favourite. (Proper review forthcoming.)

[alcracka · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Middlemarch is a towering achievement. It's tough to find words strong enough to describe it; I mean, I just finished Madame Bovary and called it perfect, so where do I go from there? Middlemarch is almost three times as long and it's still perfect; that's more impressive. But Anna Karenina is pretty close to perfect too, so here's the best I can do:

George Eliot is better than Tolstoy.

Tolstoy is a realistic writer: his characters are real, complicated people with real lives. Among other things, that means that they don't always get neat little character arcs; Tolstoy's plots don't always come together in a tidy bow. By comparison, guys like Hugo and Dickens operate in slightly surreal worlds; their characters' stories weave in and out of each other, often by means of coincidences that would be unlikely in real life. That's very satisfying from a plot point of view, but I know it bothers some people who can't get over its unlikeliness.

And here's Eliot, walking a tightrope right over both of those methods. Her characters do intersect: they all come together - eventually - and they have enormously satisfying arcs. But it all happens completely naturally. She sets up each person's personality so carefully, so exquisitely, that everything that happens subsequently feels perfectly inevitable. It's one of the most tightly plotted books I've ever read. Not a thread out of place. It's an astonishing feat. There are times when I put the book down just to say, "I can't believe she's pulling this off." It's like the first time you get a handjob. "Technically, this is something I've experienced hundreds of times before...but holy shit, is it better!"

You can borrow that comparison for your thesis if you want. I don't mind.

And her writing! I put a tiny sampling of some of the many sentences that knocked me out in status updates below. Her mastery of the language is staggering.

So okay, yeah, we should mention that it does take a while to get going. I didn't really figure out what Eliot was up to until about 400 pages in. That's a very long time. I had fragmented reading time during that period, so it's partly my fault, but I'm not the first to mention that Middlemarch isn't quick off the blocks. Normally I would say that prevents a book from being called perfect - but Eliot's so aware of what she's doing, and what she's doing is so brilliant, that I think Middlemarch actually earns the right to be a little boring for a while. The ROI is extraordinarily generous.

A few years ago I had this flash of insight about a new friend I'd been making. We'd been hanging out for a couple of months, and one night she said something dismissive about someone else and all of a sudden, all the pieces I'd gotten to know fell into place and I knew her. "Oh!" I thought. "She's a narcissistic twat."

I'm sure we all know how it feels, that moment when you finally really get someone. And Eliot works like that. Character spoilers, and also a very bad word, ahoy: I went back and forth on Dorothea several times before I finally realized what Eliot was showing me: a naive but good person groping for meaning, and fucking it up several times along the way. And it took me a while to realize that Rosamond's not just vacant: she's my favorite villain since Heathcliff. God, what a cunt.

So yes, Eliot requires a great deal of patience and commitment. But it's so worth it. Ten stars, guys. A hundred stars. Millions and millions of stars. This book is a unicorn. It doesn't reveal itself easily, but when it does, it's magic.

-----------------------

Edition notes: this Penguin edition has a serviceable intro, but it's very short on endnotes. For example: each chapter begins with an epigram, but many of them are unattributed. I now know that the unattributed ones were written by Eliot (thanks Carla!), but an endnote to clue me in at the time would have been lovely, yes?

[jaylia3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After the first of its eight sections I read this wonderful Victorian classic slowly, usually savoring just one chapter a day until I sped up at the very end. It’s a pace that imitates the serial way it was released, though Middlemarch was actually published in the eight “books” it’s divided into not the individual chapters of each “book.” I can highly recommend the leisurely approach. Reading just a little every day kept me interested, engaged, and appreciative of the especially rich text, full of insightful commentary, trenchant thoughts, and germane asides, while still allowing me to keep track of the large cast of characters and their interconnecting stories. Each chapter was a highlight of my day so I feel (temporarily, I hope) at a loss now that I’ve finished the book.Of the novel's many threads the most prominent involve idealistic Dorothea Brooke, who against the advice of everyone marries a dried up religious pedant of a man thinking he will lead her to a life of meaning, and Tertius Lydgate, a doctor with great plans for doing good who traps himself in a marriage that foils all his dreams. Before starting Middlemarch I mistakenly thought it was a depressing novel of thwarted love and ambition, but that’s far from the case though it does address serious issues that include marriage, religion, political reform, the expectations of society, and the status of women. The book ends with a realistic mix of poignancy, happiness, and hope, not unmitigated tragedy. What I maybe treasure most about the novel is how sympathetically it is written. There are villains of a sort, vapid selfish Rosamund, mean spirited Mr. Casaubon and hypocritical Mr Bulstrode, and there are certainly characters that make very bad decisions, like Lydgate and Dorothea, but George Eliot writes with such level-headed sensibility and understanding that their troubles touched me and I couldn’t condemn or belittle any of them.

[thatotter-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I had started Middlemarch a couple times before but always put it down before getting through it. I really enjoy Victorian literature, though, and figured I would love it once I really got into it. Now that I've read it, I'm somewhat disappointed. Middlemarch felt much more dated to me than other great novels from this period, especially in its emphasis on politics. But a bigger drawback for me was the fact that I didn't sympathise with most of the characters--their sufferings were largely preventable and due to their own mistakes. (Lydgate, all the Vincys: I'm looking at you!) I quite liked Farebrother, Mary and Caleb Garth, and Dorothea, though.

[debnance_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I started Middlemarch on January first and lingered over it for weeks, months, before finally finishing it off during the twenty-four hour readathon. It really wasn't until mid-book that I grew to love it, the characters, the plots, the intrigues, the small-town gossip that fueled so many difficulties. I came away with a new appreciation for the power of acting out of interest for the benefit of others, bravely, despite the possible consequences. So happy I read this book.

[iamamro-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Immensely rewarding - but difficult to get into. Do persevere though - you won't regret it.

[katherinesayre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Why can't there be more than five stars for a book like this? And why can't I find the words to describe how beautiful Eliot's story is? One day after I finished it, I'm feeling the lingering effects of Eliot's wise insights into human behavior and relationships. Eliot has inspired me to be a better person.

[wrk1-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The apex of the development of the 19th century novel. Fascinatingly intellectual and observant, George Eliot and the narrator are hard to separate. This is what the modernists like Virginia Woolf must have been reacting against.

[lit_chick_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

2011, Naxos Audiobooks, Read by Juliet Stevenson“It was wicked to let a young girl blindly decide her fate in that way, without any effort to save her.” (Ch 29)Middlemarch, initially published serially, was aptly subtitled A Study of Provincial Life. Set in an 1830s fictional English town, which some critics claim was Coventry, the novel is comprised of several stories which Eliot melded into a coherent whole – not surprisingly, the work has a large cast of characters and multiple plots. Among them: romantic love versus marriage, status of women, political reform, the emergence of the middle class and its cash economy. Protagonist Dorothea Brooke is beautiful, self-sacrificing, and genuine in her desire to improve the lives of the working class. When she meets the much older Edward Casaubon, a scholarly clergyman, she thinks him a great intellectual and is taken by her desire to be taught by him. Against all advice to the contrary, she marries him; but the union is miserable. Casaubon has no passion, is insecure in his academic pursuits, and beleaguered by petty jealousies. The wretched match is not the only one of Eliot’s creation. Rosamund Vincy and Dr Tertius Lydgate are also embittered by marriage – ruined, in fact. Rosamund is genteel and shallow, her primary motivation upward social mobility. She weds Lydgate believing him to be higher born and better connected than is in fact the case. The doctor, while admirable in his desire to bring positive change to Middlemarch, foolishly drives himself into debt in an attempt to satisfy the petulant desires of his wife. His actions have catastrophic consequences, and it becomes apparent that any affection Rosamund might have had for him was conditional on income, possessions, and social niceties. Nicholas Bulstrode, a wealthy banker of the emerging middle class, offers Lydgate a way out. But Bulstrode is harbouring a secret past, and Lydgate’s acceptance of his offer has grave social implications.Middlemarch goes on, and on; and it would be impossible in a review of this length to cover plots and characters in their entirety. Suffice to say that Eliot’s plots are fabulously developed, as are her characters – fabulously! And, oh, the writing! I both read the novel, Penguin Classic edition, and listened to it, narrated by none other than the inimitable Juliet Stevenson. Middlemarch in a word: perfection! Most highly recommended.“I mean, marriage drinks up all of our power of giving or getting any blessedness in that sort of love. I know it may be very dear—but it murders our marriage—and then the marriage stays with us like a murder—and everything else is gone.” (Ch 81)

[leslie398 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While I enjoyed the plot and the characterizations, I struggled with Eliot's writing style. However, I found it picked up quite a bit at the end (the last 150 pages or so). I think that I will have to revisit this novel at some time in the future; perhaps I will be in a better mood to appreciate it.

[noah_schumacher-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Trying to write a simple review of Middlemarch is difficult because I am not sure where to begin. This novel was one of the best novels I have read in a long time. With many plot twists and turns George Elliot engages the reader on many levels. Beyond the plot and character development (which are superb) Elliot writes with amazing description and eloquence. She literally paints works of art with her words. If the reader is a writer or communicator in any fashion, he or she can not help but feel that they just spent 900 pages being schooled in the ways of critical engagement.

Her main story line involving Dorthea offers a modern critique to the notion that an individual must fit the societal mold to be something or be someone of importance. She shows us that it is often the obscure and unnoticed who make the world what it is. One can not help but leave this novel feeling empowered to rediscover the beauty of simplicity while living in a such a materialistic and narcissistic culture like Western Civilization.

From beginning to end it was a phenomenal book. However, the reader must pay close attention to the rhythm of Elliot's writing. She goes back and forth between various plots of the overarching story rather quickly and quietly. If the reader can stay in step with Elliot throughout the text, he or she will arrive at an ending that will surely delight and impact on many profound levels.

[maggieflo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It has taken me a long time to read this book but it is well worth the time and effort. This is a wonderful story full of exceptionally well developed characters and plot lines. The central character, Dorothea Brooks is flanked by Other members of Middlemarch society from the aristocracy and the labourers. Among the more interesting characters are Fred Vincy, who loves Mary Garth, Dr. Lydgate who falls under the spell of the vacuous Rosamond Vincy, Casaubon, the middle aged preacher who Dorothea unfortunately marries, Will Ladislav, a distant relative of Casuabon, with a checkered birthright, Balustrode with a hidden past and secret which affects almost all of the population. There are many other characters but these are the principle ones. The writing is excellent. I have not had the pleasure of savouring such brilliant descriptions of thoughts, emotions, love and activities for quite some time and this is truly a masterpiece. There is a sense of humanity, justice, kindness and forgiveness in her main characters vs the petty prejudices of the "elite" and masses.I really enjoyed the descriptions English society and politics at the time, In particular the discussions about the Reform bill and it's potential impact . All turns out well in the end.the

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel provides a look at small-town life in Victorian times. The author tells the story of several characters and explores themes such as spirituality vs. religion, the constraints of small-town life and social expectations, idealism and what makes a successful marriage. Well written with many characters and themes to explore.The author displays an amazing understanding of human motivations and behaviour.

[mullgirl · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I had an interview once with someone for whom I have much respect and who I had heard was very well-read. Naturally, I worked the topic of conversation around to literature, and we had a lively discussion on the merits of several British authors. His favorite book is Middlemarch, which he said that he reads when he’s not in the mood for anything heavy. For whatever reason, I have an image of him very Mr. Bennet-like, enjoying folly and being amused by the profane. I had to confess to him that I had never read that particular book. I did not get the job.

I resolved to read that book around New Years’. I picked up a soft bound copy of Middlemarch from my local library toward the end of February and was surprised at its girth. No light reading after all, it would seem. I read it on the train to and from an internship and then tried a few nights to just give it a few hours at a time. And alas, alack, I could not do it. After 200 pages, I gave up. I more than gave up–I borrowed the BBC adaptation from my local library. Sigh.

So why could I not finish it? The characters were a little too flat. They all had a touch of the ridiculous in them, which I generally like. But the characters all seemed so very one-dimensional to me–so much so that I could never really become interested in any of their stories; I never needed to see what happens next with them. I just didn’t care.

[bdartnall_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Classic story from 1870s England - the story of the changing times, but more about the struggles to be truly human, truly useful in Victorian English society. This presents a challenge for we readers who know little to nothing of English countryside life in the second half of the nineteenth century, or English politics or all the place and name dropping which were current, common knowledge at the time of publication. A challenge for modern readers also because of the 19th century sentence style - long, convoluted, paranthetical- but a worthy challenge. Eliot's descriptions still end up with statements of insight that gave me pause - her knowledge of both men and women's inner workings, and thoughts- were further recognition of the complexity of the human condition. It took me a good third of the book to accustom myself to her style, and absorb the family /friend connections-all the names!- typical of Victorian novels. But there was no difficulty in recognizing myself, and others, in her compelling, well drawn characters: all their strengths, weaknesses, and daily struggles: Mary Garth and her kind, hardworking parents; the Vincy family with their two spoiled but handsome children, Fred and Rosamund; Dorothea Brooke, in her idealistic, ambitious fervor and her milder, affectionate sister Celia and their uncle Mr. Brooke, friendly, rambling in his speech, and a fixture of the landed gentry of Middlemarch; cold, scholarly Mr. Casaubon and his handsome, careless cousin Will Ladislaw; the intelligent, tolerant Vicar, Mr. Farebrother and his elderly mother and aunt; the ambitious, intense medical man, Tertius Lydgate and his calculating, Puritanical hospital sponsor, Mr. Bulstrode, with a secret past he thinks will stay buried... now I'll go back and watch the Masterpiece Theatre PBS production and enjoy it all the more for George Eliot's sympathetic depiction, doomed though some of the characters may be, of the intricacies and trials of everyday life, for the great and the small.

[nadinec.keels · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In all honesty, I enjoyed it more and read it faster than I thought I would. My favorite line of Eliot's came at the end: "...for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."Of all the characters, I liked Rosamond the least (Mr. Casaubon coming in a close second to "Rosy"), and I liked Dorothea the best. In the end, I'm glad "Dodo" went for it.

[tess_schoolmarm · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

With all of its 880 pages, I expected “more” in terms of a definitive plot, which I did not find. The characters are rich and the time period displayed beautifully by Eliot. Her descriptive powers are delicious as evidenced by description of Mr. Casaubon: "as genuine a character as any ruminant animal". (pg. 173) The pace of the book is slow and reminds somewhat of Austen and Wharton. I have 2-3 other Eliot’s in my anthology and as of right now I’m not anxious to begin them.

[jthierer_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked that even the minor characters in this book were real people, not just cardboard caricatures to move the plot along. I also appreciated the subtle dashes of humor that only become apparent as you adjust to Eliot's style. Overall, amazing book that really engaged me mentally and emotionally. Everyone should at least give this one a chance.

[novelcommentary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Somewhere recently I read that Middlemarch is the greatest English novel. So I decided to download the free classic onto my iPad and take the plunge. I am glad I did. Eliot created an involving group of characters who all are affected by past decisions. Dorothea is a wonderful heroine, an idealistic beauty who marries an older man so that she can help him with his scholarly pursuits. Unfortunately she later meets the real love of her life, her husband's nephew. The novel explores the marriages of several couples, Lydgate, a young doctor takes on more than he can afford when he marries the town beauty, Rosamond. Another town favorite Fred Vincy has to get his act together if he is ever going to have a chance with his childhood love, Mary Garth. The author also manages to make the town itself a character in the way their opinions or judgements play a part in the fates of others. Though it took awhile to get through this 800 page novel, it nicely came together at the end and realistically provides a portrait of the Provincial life of England in the 1830's, I look forward to other works from Eliot.

[katieray-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely beautiful and touching book. Eliot's characters are real and compelling, and she portrays life in all its imperfection - full of mistakes and misunderstanding, but remedied by friendship and compassion.

[rmckeown_9 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I recently reviewed My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead, and she inspired me to return – for the third time – to one of my all-time favorite novels:Middlemarch by George Eliot. Fortunately, on my first two reads, I used two different pencils, so I was able to compare my readings as I went along.According to the BBC History Website, George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, one of the leading English novelists of the 19th century. She was born on 22 November 1819 in rural Warwickshire. When her mother died in 1836, Eliot left school to help run her father's household. In 1841, she moved with her father to Coventry and lived with him until his death in 1849. Eliot then travelled in Europe, eventually settling in London. In 1850, Eliot began contributing to the Westminster Review, a leading journal for philosophical radicals and later became its editor. She was now at the centre of a literary circle through which she met George Henry Lewes, with whom she lived until his death in 1878. Lewes was married and their relationship caused a scandal. Eliot was shunned by friends and family. Lewes encouraged Eliot to write. In 1856, she began a series of novels, which proved to be great successes. She used a male pen name to ensure her works were taken seriously in an era when female authors were usually associated with romantic novels. The popularity of Eliot's novels brought social acceptance, and Lewes and Eliot's home became a meeting place for writers and intellectuals. After Lewes' death Eliot married a friend, John Cross, who was 20 years her junior. She died on 22 December 1880 and was buried in Highgate Cemetery in North London. Eliot underscored the importance of teaching reading and the humanities when she wrote in a letter to Frederic Harrison the following: “aesthetic teaching is the highest of all teaching because it deals with life in its highest complexity” (593). This quintessential novel of the 19th century conveys in a wonderfully entertaining fashion, the complex tangled web of love, marriage, and relationships.My worn Norton Edition has hundreds of passages underlined and annotated. The attempt to encapsulate this novel in a single passage proves almost impossible. So, I decided to quote the opening passage, which describes the main character:“Miss Brooks had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress. Her hand and wrist were so finely formed that she could wear sleeves not less bare of style than those in which the Blessed Virgin appeared to Italian painters; and her profile as well as her stature and bearing seemed to gain the more dignity from her plain garments, which by the side of provincial fashion gave her the impressiveness of a fine quotation from the Bible, -- or from one of our elder poets, -- in a paragraph of today’s newspaper. She was usually spoken of as being remarkably clever, but with the addition that her sister Celia had more common sense” (1).Middlemarch by George Eliot is one of the great novels of British Literature. Rather than simply read, it should be experienced. Do not be deterred by its 578 pages. You will visit Middlemarch and soon return after what will seem like the briefest of vacations. 5 stars--Jim, 3/22/14

[lucylocket_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read this book several times over the years and it still appears fresh each time. It has enormous scope. Dorethea is a wonderful central character who has the grace to learn from her mistakes. My favourite quote is "If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. As it is, the quickest of us walk about well wadded with stupidity"

[drpeff · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a lot of cultural discussion that I didn’t understand. I was able to picture the scenes that were described so well. I liked it.