Middlemarch

Middlemarch was a part of my college curriculum, however, I found the novel too bulky and never read the text. All my assignments came from SparkNotes and other sources on internet. This is the main reason, I joined this class.

The novel bears the essential characteristics of the Victorian age with heft descriptions. It maybe because we are used to easier forms of entertainments these days, that I constantly found myself trying to skip long passages of description and look for pages where the actual action took place. However, I tried my best to stop and read as much as I could. I expected to be hooked right away (given the popularity of the novel), but that was not the case. I was a little distracted the whole time, hence, I read the chapters in different sittings, so as to read it properly.

I did take some time to get used to the characters, understand their basic traits, and dilemmas. In the beginning, I found Dorothy to be opinionated and thus the character bore some resemblance to Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice; however, that impression changed very soon as Dorothy although a strong character, wished to be taught by her husband, which was quite the opposite of what Elizabeth wanted. Dorothy’s choice of husband did surprise me.

Once I got hold of the characters in the initial chapters, it was easier to follow the text. I did not feel like the novel (at least till Book 1) was plot driven. The author has focused deeply on characters. She has described each detail, likes and disliked, the thinking process, etc. of the characters elaborately. I am interested to see the development of Mr Ladislaw’s character. Although, not much was revealed about him, it seems like he is going to be a surprise package of the entire novel.

The plot for me, unfolds slowly. Most of the Book 1 went into introduction of the characters. There are so many of them. Also, as soon as I understood the characters of James, Dodo, Celia and other, the author introduced new ones – the Vincys, Fred, Rosamund, Mary and all. Remembering each one of them felt like quite an exercise.

I found Book 2 more enjoyable as compare to the previous one. This may be because the narrative style of George Eliot has grown on me; however, I was less distracted and the passages and the story were relatively easy to follow.

One thing that I noticed in the book was, all the love stories were sad. They all seemed incomplete and left the lovers or the participants longing and separated.

We see Fred pining for Mary. He has confessed his love to her, but since he is jobless the girl refuses to accept him or promise to wait for him. The only good thing that comes out of Fred’s love for Mary is that he finally decides to pay his debt and look for a suitable employment. However, we still don’t know if he will be able to win Mary.

Lydgate on the other hand is a successful doctor who is well respected. He falls in love with an actress and crosses country to confess his love. The actress Laure though appreciates his affection is tired of husbands (she had used her character in a show to murder her ex-husband). She confesses the deed and asks Lydgate to return to his country as she could not promise him anything either. The only respite we get is to see that Lydgate’s attention and affection are diverted to another young lady in the Middlemarch, but again, just like Fred and Mary, we do not know where this story will lead.

This book introduced us to Dorothea as Casaubon’s wife. Although, she had married the man of her choice and was pretty happy the last time we read about her, all her illusions seem to have shattered. She is depressed and feels that her husband does not give her the regards that she deserved. Right in the middle of their honeymoon in Rome, she feels disillusioned. The question of whether she had made the right choice seems to be sitting at the back of her mind, and she is doing everything in her power to suppress that question form becoming prominent.

One interesting character that this book introduced in the painter, Naumann and I am interested to see where and how does his character arc intersects with the residents of Middlemarch.

I found the opening of Chapter 15 quite interesting. George Eliot talks about ancient times when Fielding lived and the summer afternoons were spacious and the clock ticked slowly in the winter evenings. First, this passage is so eloquently written. Its almost like a poetry. Second, it makes me wonder, if she found the life of 1872 past paced, what would she have said about the present world? We have so many distractions that time passes in the blink of an eye.

In the same passage, Eliot mentions how people might be different but they are not perceived by their individual characteristics, instead it is how people in the society perceive them, that their image is formed. What a wonderful thing to say. In the end she mentions how Middlemarch anticipated to assimilate and swallow Lydgate comfortable. I am not sure whether this assimilation will be as comfortable for Lydgate as it will be for Middlemarch community. The thought in itself is intriguing.

I found the Book 3 a bit fragmented with so many changes in the mood. The author gave us several tones and maybe since I read the chapters in two readings, I felt like the mood was changing too often.

Regarding Peter’s will, I think Mary was in a dilemma. Yes he had the right to do anything with his will, Mary might have thought that he was not in his right mind just before death. That might be the reason she refused to touch the will. She would have been responsible for the aftermath if anything went wrong. Peter was in an emotional state. He knew he was dying and it was time, he said goodbye. There was a possibility that his thoughts were muddled and he might just do anything. I suppose that was the reason Mary refused to honor his wish. I am not sure, if what she did was right as it had to be Peter’s choice but at least I do understand why she did that.

I also felt bad for Mary as it was revealed that she too had a soft corner for Fred. Loving a man who was not seen in positive light by her guardians and knowing that she might never be able to live with him must have hurt a lot. And like a final nail in the coffin, Fred fails to pay back the college fund of Garth’s son, which ruined his reputation al together with the family. Mt Garth tells Mary to be wary of him and she agrees. The chapter on a whole saw too many twists and turns as we saw Fred failing to procure a good bargain for the horse, having to go to the Garth’s house and confess that he might not be able to help them in the time of need and getting treated unfavorably by the lady who always held him in regard. Overall there was no one to be blamed but every character suffered a loss.

Several twists and turns happened in the book.

I though Mary might get a share in the will but since that did not happen, it was a little disappointing. Fred, almost received ten thousand pounds and then lost it and for some reasons I found it more funny than sad. It has become a sort of ritual where he becomes optimistic, and we all think that he might gain something this time but he ends up with a loss.

However, it was as if Mr. Vincy was more affected by this than Fred. He suddenly opposes Rosamond’s engagement with Lydgate citing the reasons that he was not established enough. Although Lydgate was a doctor and was soon becoming popular in Middlemarch, Mr. Vincy becomes vary of what he earns, how much he earns, and how will he support Rosamond. I wish he were that angry at Fred for not earning his upkeep.

Another thing that came as a big surprise in this weeks’ reading was Mr. Causbon’s jealousy. He was a smart, intellectual, rich, well learned and well respected man. Dorothea married him despite all oppositions and yet he was jealous of Will, who had nothing much to offer. He had everything that a person desires. He had a fixed annual income and was running an estate successfully. Moreover, Dorothea never hid the fact that she was smitten by his intellect. Although, we see that she was not as happy with the marriage as she thought, but I did not take him as a jealous man. Will was poorer, lesser in stature, wisdom, and intellect and yet somehow, Dorothea’s friendship with him affected Mr Causbon enough that he tries his best to keep Will from coming to their home. He also did not like it when Dorothea asks him to help Will and his mother and snaps at her, which was something that at least I did not expect from his character. Anyhow, it is interesting to note that at least he does not spends all his time absorbed in books and neglecting his wife.

So much happened in Book 5 that I almost skipped the sections involving politics to get a hold of the story.

Mr Casaubon’s death was a terribly sad affair. Dorothea was (as expected) heartbroken. She had married him with such affection and was left alone, a widow, at the mere age of twenty-one. However, it was Mr Casaubon who made this affair way sadder and somehow I came to dislike him by the time this book ended.

Will was young and smart and Dorothea did talk to him affectionately, but she never hinted anything else. Yes, we see Will contemplating the idea of being Dorothea’s husband at the beginning of the book but that was not something he had shared with her. However, Mr Casaubon attaches the clause in his will that his widow would lose the estate in case she married Will, implying that it was something she intended to do.

When Dorothea decided to marry Mr Casaubon, he uncle, cousin and several of their acquaintances warned her against it. They tried to persuade her to marry someone younger, perhaps. But Dorothea was adamant and married Mr Casaubon. This is enough to show her devotion toward her husband. She felt stifled and depressed after the wedding and yet she did everything in her power to make her husband happy. She read to him every evening and talked only of the affairs he wanted her to talk about. She gave up her interest in the running of the estate as Mr Casaubon did not like her to be involved in such matters.

After all the sacrifices she had made to keep her marriage from falling apart, Mr Casaubon left a will that made the entire Middlemarch speculate and talk behind her back. It would have been better if he had confronted her when he was alive or discussed the matter with her, but leaving a will like that, he made her vulnerable. This should not have been the case, especially when Mr Casaubon was such a learned man.

Overall I would say that the book lived upto its reputation.