Middlemarch

Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary
Anne Evans, later Marian Evans. It is her seventh novel, begun in 1869 and then put aside
during the final illness of Thornton Lewes, the son of her companion George Henry Lewes.
During the following year Eliot resumed work, fusing together several stories into a coherent
whole, and during 187172 the novel appeared in serial form. The first one-volume edition was
published in 1874 and attracted large sales.
Subtitled "A Study of Provincial Life", the novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of
Middlemarch, thought to be based on Coventry, during the period 183032. It has multiple plots
with a large cast of characters, and in addition to its distinct though interlocking narratives it
pursues a number of underlying themes, including the status of women, the nature of marriage,
idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. The pace is leisurely,
the tone is mildly didactic (with an authorial voice that occasionally bursts through the
narrative), and the canvas is very broad.
Although it has some comical elements and comically named characters (Mr. Brooke, the "tiny
aunt" Miss Noble, Mrs. Dollop),Middlemarch is a work of realism. Through the voices and
opinions of different characters we become aware of various issues of the day: the Great Reform
Bill, the beginnings of the railways, the death of King George IV, and the succession of his
brother, the Duke of Clarence (who became King William IV). We learn something of the state of
contemporary medical science. We also encounter the deeply reactionary mindset within a
settled community facing the prospect of what to many is unwelcome change.
The eight "books" which compose the novel are not autonomous entities, but reflect the form of
the original serialisation. A short prelude introduces the idea of the latter-day St. Theresa,
presaging the character Dorothea; a postscript or "finale" after the eighth book gives the post-
novel fates of the main characters.
Middlemarch has retained its popularity and status as one of the masterpieces of English
fiction, although some reviewers have expressed dissatisfaction at the destiny recorded for
Dorothea. In separate centuries, Florence Nightingale and Kate Millett both remarked on the
eventual subordination of Dorothea's own dreams to those of her admirer, Ladislaw. However, in
the epilogue George Eliot herself acknowledges the regrettable waste of Dorothea's potential,
blaming social conditions. Virginia Woolf gave the book unstinting praise,
describing Middlemarch as "the magnificent book that, with all its imperfections, is one of the few
English novels written for grown-up people". Martin Amis and Julian Barnes have cited it as
probably the greatest novel in the English language.
Background
On 1 January 1869, George Eliot listed her tasks for the coming year in her journal. The list
included "A Novel called Middlemarch", along with a number of poetry and other projects. Her
most recent novel, Felix Holt, had been published more than two years earlier and had not sold
well. Despite this, the projected new novel was to be set in the same pre-Reform Bill England
as Felix Holt, and would again deal with the reform issue, although less centrally.
In its first conception, Middlemarch was a story involving Lydgate, an ambitious doctor, the Vincy
family, and Mr. Featherstone. Progress on the novel was slow; by September, only three
chapters of the story had been completed. The main reason for this lack of development was the
distraction caused by the illness of Lewes's son Thornie, who was dying slowly
of tuberculosis. Following his death on 19 October 1869, all work on the novel stopped. At this
point, it is uncertain whether or not Eliot intended to revive the original project; in November
1870, more than a year later, she began work on an entirely new story, "Miss Brooke",
introducing Dorothea. Exactly when she started to combine this narrative with the earlier
Lydgate-Vincy-Featherstone plot is unrecorded, but the process was certainly under way by
March 1871.
As the scope of the novel grew, a decision was taken as to the form of its publication. In May
1871, Lewes asked publisher John Blackwood to bring the novel out in eight parts, at two-
monthly intervals from December 1871. Blackwood agreed, and the eight books duly appeared
throughout 1872, the last instalments appearing in successive months, November and December
1872.
Plot
Dorothea Brooke is an idealistic and well-to-do young woman who seeks to help those around
her by doing things such as helping the lot of the local poor. She is seemingly set for a
comfortable and idle life as the wife of neighbouring landowner Sir James Chettam, but to the
dismay and bewilderment of her sister Celia (who later marries Chettam) and her loquacious
uncle Mr. Brooke, she marries instead Edward Casaubon, a dry, pedantic scholar many decades
older than Dorothea who, she believes, is engaged in writing a great work, The Key to All
Mythologies. She wishes to find fulfilment by sharing her husband's intellectual life, but during an
unhappy honeymoon in Rome she experiences his coldness towards her ambitions. Slowly she
realises that his great project is doomed to failure and her feelings for him descend to pity. She
forms a warm friendship with a young cousin of Casaubon's, Will Ladislaw, but her husband's
antipathy towards him is clear (partly based on his belief that Ladislaw is trying to seduce
Dorothea to gain access to Casaubon's fortune), and Ladislaw is forbidden to visit. In poor
health, Casaubon attempts to extract from Dorothea a promise that, should he die, she will
"avoid doing what I should deprecate and apply yourself to do what I desire"meaning either
that she should shun Ladislaw, or, as Dorothea believes, that she should complete The Key to All
Mythologies in his place, forever freezing her youthful intelligence and energy into animating the
dead hand of his extinct ideas. Before Dorothea can give her reply, Casaubon dies. She then
learns that he has added the extraordinary provision to his will that, if she should marry Ladislaw,
Dorothea will lose her inheritance from Casaubon.

Meanwhile, Tertius Lydgate, an idealistic young doctor with advanced ideas for medical research
and reform, has arrived in Middlemarch. His voluntary hospital work brings him into contact with
the town's financier, Mr. Bulstrode, who has philanthropic leanings; he is also a religious zealot
with a secret past. Bulstrode's niece is Rosamond Vincy, the mayor's daughter and the town's
recognised beauty, and she sets her sights on Lydgate, attracted by what she believes to be his
aristocratic connections and his novelty as a newcomer to the town. She wins him, but the
disjunction between her self-centred narcissism and his idealistic notions of helping others
ensures that their marriage is unhappy. Lydgate manages his financial affairs badly in order to
please Rosamond, and he is soon deeply in debt and has to seek help from Bulstrode. He is
partly sustained emotionally in his marital and financial woes by his friendship with Camden
Farebrother, a generous-spirited and engaging parson from a local parish.
At the same time, readers have become acquainted with Rosamond's university-educated,
restless, and irresponsible brother, Fred, who is reluctantly destined for the Church. He is in love
with his childhood sweetheart, Mary Garth, the plain, sensible, and forthright young woman who
will not accept him until he abandons the Church (which she knows he has no interest in) and
settles in a more suitable career. Mary's honesty contributes to Fred's losing a considerable
fortune, which was bequeathed to him by the aged and irascible Mr. Featherstone, then
rescinded by a later will which Featherstone, on his deathbed, begs Mary to destroy. Mary
refuses to engage in such an illegal act and begs Featherstone to wait until the morning, when a
legal will superseding the other will can be legally drawn up. But Featherstone dies before the
morning. Fred, in trouble over some injudicious horse-dealing, is forced to take out a loan that is
co-signed by Mary's father, Caleb Garth, to meet his commitments. When Fred is unable to pay
the loan, Caleb Garth's finances become compromised, since he must pay back the loan himself
as co-signer. This humiliation shocks Fred into reassessing his life, and he resolves to train as a
land agent under the forgiving Caleb.
These three interwoven narratives, with side-plots such as the disastrous though comedic
attempt by Mr. Brooke to enter Parliament as a sponsor of Reform, are the basis of the novel
until well into its final third. Then a new thread emerges, with the appearance of John Raffles,
who knows about Bulstrode's shady past and is determined to exploit this knowledge via
blackmail. In his youth, the now fire-and-brimstone church-going Bulstrode engaged in some
questionable financial dealings; he also owes the foundation of his fortune to a marriage to a
much older, wealthy widow. Bulstrode's terror of public exposure as a hypocrite leads him to
hasten the death of the mortally sick Raffles by giving him access to forbidden alcohol and
excessive amounts of opium. But he is too late; Raffles had already spread the word. Bulstrode's
disgrace engulfs the luckless Lydgate, as knowledge of the financier's loan to the doctor
becomes public, and he is assumed to be complicit with Bulstrode. Only Dorothea and
Farebrother maintain faith in Lydgate, but Lydgate and Rosamond are encouraged by the
general opprobrium to leave Middlemarch. The disgraced and reviled Bulstrode's only
consolation is that his wife stands by him as he, too, faces exile.
The final thread in the complex weave concerns Ladislaw. The peculiar nature of Casaubon's will
has meant that suspicion has fallen upon Dorothea and Ladislaw as possible lovers, creating an
awkwardness between the two. But Casaubon's paranoia demonstrates some perception,
because Ladislaw is secretly in love with Dorothea. But he keeps that fact to himself, having no
desire to involve her in scandal or to cause her disinheritance. He has remained in Middlemarch,
working as a newspaper editor for Mr. Brooke; he has also become a focus for Rosamond's
treacherous attentions. After Brooke's election campaign collapses, there is nothing to keep
Ladislaw in Middlemarch, so he visits Dorothea to make his farewell. But Dorothea, released
from life with Casaubon but still the prisoner of his will, has come to fall in love with Ladislaw.
She had previously seen him as her husband's unfortunate relative, but the peculiar nature of
Casaubon's will led her to begin to see him in a new light, as well as to open herself and
Ladislaw up to public gossip. Renouncing Casaubon's fortune, she shocks her family again by
announcing she will marry Ladislaw. At the same time, Fred, who has proven an apt pupil of
Caleb's profession, finally wins the approval and hand of Mary.
Beyond the principal stories we are given constant glimpses into other scenes. We observe
Featherstone's avaricious relatives gathering for the spoils, visit Farebrother's strange mnage,
and become aware of enormous social and economic divides. But these are backdrops for the
main stories which, true to life, are left largely suspended, leaving a short finale to summarise the
fortunes of our protagonists over the next 30 years or so. The book ends as it began, with
Dorothea: "Her full nature...spent itself in channels which had no great name on the Earth. But
the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the
world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts.
Themes
Education
The book examines the role of education in the lives of the characters and how such education
and study has affected them. Rosamond Vincy's completion of school education is a foil to
Dorothea Brooke's thirst for purposeful education, which was generally denied women of the era.
Rosamond initially admires Lydgate for his exotic education and his intellect. A similar dynamic is
present in Dorothea and Casaubon's relationship, with Dorothea revering her new husband's
intellect and eloquence. Dorothea comes to question Casaubon's depth and penetration, while
Rosamond is too self-obsessed to sympathise with Lydgate's focus and ambition.
Despite extreme erudition
]
Mr. Casaubon is afraid to publish because he believes that he must
write a work that is utterly above criticism. In contrast, Lydgate at times arrogantly drives ahead,
alienating his more conservative fellow physicians. He regards the residents of Middlemarch with
some disdain, his sympathy tempered by the belief that they are intellectually backward. Despite
his education he lacks tact and the politicking skills necessary for advancement in a small town.
Self-delusion
Most of the central characters of this novel have a habit of building castles in the air and then
attempting to live in them. Because they are idealistic, self-absorbed, or otherwise out of touch
with reality, they make serious mistakes. These mistakes cause them great unhappiness and
eventually their illusions are shattered. Some characters learn from this process and others do
not. Those who learn not to build castles in the air generally end up happy, while those who
persist in ignoring pragmatism are miserable.
Dorothea, who wants nothing more in life than to do good, rejects a young man who would have
been a reasonably good match for her to marry the aged scholar Mr. Casaubon. She does this
because she likes the idea of being an assistant to him and helping him with his great intellectual
pursuits. Unfortunately, she is so much in love with her image of Mr. Casaubon that she fails to
notice he is not actually writing anything. He is supposedly working on a great work that, when
completed, will link together and explain all world mythologies; however, he is so obsessed with
creating a perfect work of scholarship and so afraid of criticism from his peers that he never
publishes anything. He is not interested in contributing to the discipline for its own sake; rather,
he uses scholarship to enhance his ego and improve his image. Dorothea, in her youth and
enthusiasm, does not recognise this. Later, when she meets people who genuinely do love
knowledge for its own sake (Ladislaw and Lydgate come to mind), she cannot help but notice the
discrepancy between what she wanted and what she actually chose. Yet this discrepancy does
not keep her from marrying a second time, to Ladislaw, whom she hardly knows. Based on a few
days' acquaintance developed during her honeymoon and a handful of occasional conversations,
Dorothea is attracted to Ladislaw, but does not have an opportunity to get to know him. Their
mutual love is developed apart from one another.
Lydgate, the other tragic character in this novel, chooses his wife based more on physical
attraction than on a knowledge of her character. He marries the materialistic, self-absorbed
Rosamond Vincy who, unbeknownst to Lydgate, has been harbouring her own delusions and
misconceptions about who Lydgate is. Once safely married, they each find out exactly how
poorly they suit one another. He cannot free himself of Rosamond, yet he is unwilling to set aside
his (and her) upper-class pretensions to buy himself the time and resources to conduct his
medical research. He ignores the basic financial reality of life in Middlemarch, does not dispense
prescriptions, and alienates patients by not filling what they believe to be his proper role as a
doctor. Eventually he succumbs to Rosamond's desire to leave Middlemarch and turns into the
kind of doctor he never really wanted to be, his research permanently abandoned. He becomes
financially successful, which appeases Rosamond. After Lydgate dies, Rosamond marries
someone better suited to her tastes, who can indulge her materialism and who never asks her to
do anything difficult.
Not all the characters in Middlemarch cling to their delusions. Fred Vincy gets a rude awakening
when the big inheritance he expects fails to materialise. He sets aside his more frivolous pursuits
and goes to work for Mary Garth's father. Mr. Farebrother, who is also in love with Mary, helps to
steer Fred away from temptation and keep him on the best course. Mr. Farebrother does this
with a great deal of regret, since if Fred were to fail to become a productive, self-sufficient adult
Farebrother himself would have his own opportunity to woo and win Mary, whom he wants for
himself. Yet, in the end, Fred is rewarded when he proves himself to be a reliable, sensible
individual. Mary accepts his hand in marriage.
Rosamond Vincy Lydgate never abandons her delusions about herself and persists in viewing
herself as a perpetually wronged princess even though she is scheming and manipulative; yet
she does eventually realise that being married to an idealistic doctor is not easy and that
marrying into a wealthy family does not guarantee that she and her husband will be rich. She
also realises that Lydgate, whom she decided she loved because of his upper-class background
and distant origins, is not the meal ticket to which she felt entitled. At the end of the book, after
Lydgate's death, Rosamond correctly identifies the attributes most desirable to her in a husband:
a fat wallet and an indulgent nature. She obtains such a husband and lives happily ever after.
Characters
None of the characters in Middlemarch are intentionally humorous in their diction, although Mary
Garth employs great wit. Yet the voice of the narrator comes across as wry and humorous in
many places.
Unlettered labourers speaking in dialect as minor characters add flashes of humour and
poignancy, as in Shakespeare.
Dorothea Brooke An intelligent and wealthy young woman who aspires to do great work.
Spurning signs of wealth in the form of jewels or fancy clothes, she embarks upon projects
such as redesigning cottages for the tenants of her miserly and embarrassingly neglectful
uncle. She can seldom get anyone to take her ideas seriously and she decides to marry the
Reverend Edward Casaubon, many decades her senior, to help him with the writing of his
great research project, The Key to All Mythologies. The marriage is quickly revealed to be a
mistake, as Casaubon does not take her seriously and resents her youth, enthusiasm, and
energy. Her requests to assist him merely serve to make it more difficult for him to conceal
that his research is years out of date and his work is very lackluster. His research on pagan
parallels with Christian theology serves only to entice those who know nothing about the
field; those who are familiar with the area of research know that his work is derivative and
has been explored thoroughly by earlier researchers. When her husband shunts her aside
during their honeymoon, she finds a kindred spirit in the Reverend's first cousin once
removed, Will Ladislaw, and the two become friends. After Casaubon's death, when their
mutual attraction might blossom, it is almost renounced because of various complications,
including the provision in Casaubon's will that, if Dorothea were to marry Ladislaw, she
would be disinherited. Such a provision leads people to wonder if Dorothea and Ladislaw
had been engaging in anything improper during Dorothea's marriage, which is a great insult
on the part of Casaubon. Eventually, however, they do marry and move to London, but Eliot
denies her a straightforwardly happy ending since Dorothea, like Lydgate, fails to reach her
potential and sacrifices her dreams to support her husband in his political career.
Tertius Lydgate An idealistic, proud, passionate, and talented-but-nave young doctor of
good birth but small financial means, he hopes to make great advancements in medicine
through his research and the charity hospital in Middlemarch. He ends up entangled with
Rosamond Vincy and they marry unhappily. His pride and attempts to show that he is not
answerable to any man end up backfiring and he eventually leaves town. He quickly falls out
of love with his wife and ends up sacrificing all of his high ideals to make a living that will
please Rosamond.
Rev. Edward Casaubon A pedantic, selfish clergyman of late middle age who is
obsessed with finishing his scholarly research, to the exclusion of other people and things.
He marries Dorothea Brooke, leading to a loveless marriage. His unfinished book The Key to
All Mythologies is intended as a monument to the tradition of Christian syncretism. However,
we later learn that his life's work is useless as

he does not read German and is therefore
behind on current studies. We also learn he is aware of this but has put too much time into
his research to admit it to anyone else.
Mary Garth The practical, plain, and kind daughter of Caleb and Susan Garth, she works
as Mr. Featherstone's nurse. She and Fred Vincy were childhood sweethearts, but she
refuses to allow him to woo her until he shows himself willing and able to live seriously,
practically, and sincerely.
Mr. Arthur Brooke The often befuddled and none-too-clever uncle of Dorothea and Celia
Brooke. He has a reputation for being the worst landlord in the county, but tries to stand for
parliament on a Reform platform.
Celia Brooke Dorothea's younger sister is also a great beauty, but attractive in a far more
sensual way. She does not share Dorothea's idealism and asceticism, and is only too happy
to marry the rejected Sir James Chettam.
Sir James Chettam A neighbouring landowner, Sir James is in love with Dorothea and
tries to ingratiate himself to her by helping her with her plans to improve conditions for the
tenants. When she marries Casaubon, he marries Celia Brooke instead.
Rosamond Vincy Vain, beautiful, and shallow, Rosamond has a high opinion of her own
charms and a low opinion of Middlemarch society. She marries Tertius Lydgate because she
believes that he will raise her social standing and keep her comfortable and carefree. When
her husband encounters financial difficulties, she thwarts his efforts to economise, seeing
such sacrifices as beneath her and insulting to her on the part of her husband. She is unable
to bear the idea of losing status in Middlemarch society.
Fred Vincy Rosamond's brother. He has loved Mary Garth since they were children. His
family is hoping that he will find a secure life and advance his class standing by becoming a
clergyman, but he knows that Mary will not marry him if he does become one. Brought up
with expectations from his uncle Mr. Featherstone, he has a tendency to be spendthrift and
irresponsible. He later finds, by studying under Mary's father, a profession at which he can
be successful and which Mary will respect.
Will Ladislaw A young cousin of Mr. Casaubon, he has no property because his
grandmother married a poor Polish musician and was disinherited. He is a man of great
verve, idealism and talent but of no fixed profession. He comes to love Dorothea, but cannot
marry her without her losing Mr. Casaubon's property.
Mr. Humphrey Cadwallader and Mrs. Eleanor Cadwallader Neighbours of the Brookes.
Mr. Cadwallader is a Rector. Mrs. Cadwallader is a pragmatic and talkative woman who
comments on local affairs with wry cynicism. She disapproves of Dorothea's marriage and
Mr. Brooke's parliamentary endeavours.
Mr. Walter Vincy and Mrs. Lucy Vincy A respectable manufacturing family. They wish
their children to advance socially, and are disappointed by both Rosamond's and Fred's
marriages. Mr. Vincy's sister is married to Nicholas Bulstrode. Mrs. Vincy was an innkeeper's
daughter and her sister was the second wife of Mr. Featherstone.
Mr. Caleb Garth Mary Garth's father. He is a kind, honest, and generous businessman
who is a surveyor and land agent involved in farm management. He is fond of Fred and
eventually takes him under his wing.
Mr. Camden Farebrother A poor but clever vicar and amateur naturalist. He is a friend of
Lydgate and Fred Vincy, and loves Mary Garth.
Nicholas Bulstrode Wealthy banker married to Mr. Vincy's sister, Harriet. He is a pious
Methodist who tries to impose his beliefs in Middlemarch society; however, he also has a
sordid past which he is desperate to hide. His religion, consisting of "broken metaphor and
bad logic," consistently favours his personal desires, but is devoid of sympathy for others. He
is an unhappy man who has longed for years to be better than he is, and has clad his selfish
passions in severe robes.
Mr. Peter Featherstone Old landlord of Stone Court, a self-made man who married
Caleb Garth's sister and later took Mrs. Vincy's sister as his second wife when his first wife
died.
Mrs. Jane Waule - A widow and Peter Featherstone's sister, has a son, John.
Mr. Hawley Foul-mouthed businessman and enemy of Bulstrode.
Mr. Mawmsey Grocer.
Dr. Sprague Middlemarch doctor.
Mr. Tyke Clergyman favoured by Bulstrode.
Rigg Featherstone Featherstone's illegitimate son who appears at the reading of
Featherstone's will and is given his fortune instead of Fred. He is also related to John
Raffles, who comes into town to visit Rigg but instead reveals Bulstrode's past. His
appearance in the novel is crucial to the plot.
John Raffles Raffles is a braggart and a bully, a humorous scoundrel in the tradition
of Sir John Falstaff, and an alcoholic. But unlike Shakespeare's fat knight, Raffles is a
genuinely evil man with a jolly exterior. He holds the key to Bulstrode's dark past and
Lydgate's future. Bulstrode believes his secret will be safe with Raffles' demise.