Middlemarch
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" No Victorian novel approaches Middlemarch in its width of reference, its intellectual power, or the imperturbable spaciousness of its narrative."
--V. S. Pritchett --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
--V. S. Pritchett --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Product Description
This Wordsworth Edition includes an exclusive Introduction and notes by Doreen Roberts, Rutherford College, University of Kent at Canterbury.
Middlemarch is a complex tale of idealism, disillusion, profligacy, loyalty and frustrated love. This penetrating analysis of the life of an English provincial town during the time of social unrest prior to the Reform Bill of 1832 is told through the lives of Dorothea Brooke and Dr Tertius Lydgate and includes a host of other paradigm characters who illuminate the condition of English life in the mid-nineteenth century.
Henry James described Middlemarch as a ‘treasurehouse of detail’ while Virginia Woolf famously endorsed George Eliot’s masterpiece as ‘one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This story is somewhat off my usual fayre. Ostensibly it is a romance story, or rather three romance stories that are intertwined. As such it is a book I never before bothered to read as I would not want my cool macho image to be dented by the sight of me flicking through a romance! But I managed to get a copy for my e-reader from "Manybooks" and thus read it in secret!
And I am very glad I did so. Of course, this is a classic so the judgement of history is already there as to the worth of this book, and nothing I add here can change that. Without a doubt this is a book that can be read and enjoyed by many many people. What I can add to this is that it can also be enjoyed by people who do not go in for icky romances! And the reason I can say that is that the real strength of this story does not lie in the romances themselves, but in the wonderful observation ad depiction of life in the 1830s of rural England.
From the opening pages where you have people namedropping Wilberforce and other such luminaries in their social circles, you are drawn into experiencing life amongst the tight Victorian social circles. You see how people wish to better not just themselves but others, but are often frustrated by the cages of convention. You see characters reform themselves, and others ruin themselves. You see people who are not evil and yet do evil deeds for human reasons. You see a mirror on the souls of the characters and ultimately ourselves as readers.
George Eliot's characterisations are wonderful. Her writing is still accessible to the modern reader, and whilst she makes some use of techniques where the narrator knows all and can moralise on the reader's behalf - something you would not find in a modern work - these techniques do not wholly detract from the work, and were - of course - quite common in Victorian fiction. One plot element also reminded me of Dickens in the unfolding coincidences in the background of two characters. But whilst the work is therefore clearly Victorian, it remains very readable. The auction scene and some other scenes were very funny, and as you recognise the types of characters being portrayed in real people - past and present - you will be amused by this work.
So if, like me, you don't do romances - don't skip this work. It is well worth reading.
And I am very glad I did so. Of course, this is a classic so the judgement of history is already there as to the worth of this book, and nothing I add here can change that. Without a doubt this is a book that can be read and enjoyed by many many people. What I can add to this is that it can also be enjoyed by people who do not go in for icky romances! And the reason I can say that is that the real strength of this story does not lie in the romances themselves, but in the wonderful observation ad depiction of life in the 1830s of rural England.
From the opening pages where you have people namedropping Wilberforce and other such luminaries in their social circles, you are drawn into experiencing life amongst the tight Victorian social circles. You see how people wish to better not just themselves but others, but are often frustrated by the cages of convention. You see characters reform themselves, and others ruin themselves. You see people who are not evil and yet do evil deeds for human reasons. You see a mirror on the souls of the characters and ultimately ourselves as readers.
George Eliot's characterisations are wonderful. Her writing is still accessible to the modern reader, and whilst she makes some use of techniques where the narrator knows all and can moralise on the reader's behalf - something you would not find in a modern work - these techniques do not wholly detract from the work, and were - of course - quite common in Victorian fiction. One plot element also reminded me of Dickens in the unfolding coincidences in the background of two characters. But whilst the work is therefore clearly Victorian, it remains very readable. The auction scene and some other scenes were very funny, and as you recognise the types of characters being portrayed in real people - past and present - you will be amused by this work.
So if, like me, you don't do romances - don't skip this work. It is well worth reading.
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In Middlemarch Eliot gives us a glimpse of rural life in England, during the 1830's. The central theme in this book is the connection between religion and worldliness, that affects the lives of the different characters in different ways.
Eliot's style is sharp and detailed and she alternates the serious tone of the book with enough humour and cynicism.
The most fascinating aspect of this book for me are in the numerous complex characters, often driven by ambition and blinded to the consequences for themselves and others.
A beautiful book, but not an easy read and not full of suspension, so if that's what you're looking for, you had better skip this book. But if you love classics like the works of Bronte and Hardy, this book definitely belongs on your list, that is, if you have the tenacity to read this 800 page novel.
Eliot's style is sharp and detailed and she alternates the serious tone of the book with enough humour and cynicism.
The most fascinating aspect of this book for me are in the numerous complex characters, often driven by ambition and blinded to the consequences for themselves and others.
A beautiful book, but not an easy read and not full of suspension, so if that's what you're looking for, you had better skip this book. But if you love classics like the works of Bronte and Hardy, this book definitely belongs on your list, that is, if you have the tenacity to read this 800 page novel.
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is to come out next year in a film adaptation, and so it is a good time to read the book in its entirety. Over the years some have criticised it, and there are a few faults with it, but arguably there is with any novel. Virginia Woolf had only praise for this claiming that it was the only book written for adults and I won't disagree with her.
On starting this you may think that it is a tale about two sisters, but as you progress you will find it is so much more. Taking in a variety of themes and intertwining different plots this book is magnificent in scope and execution, and is the nearest thing to one of the great Russian novels ever produced in the English language. For me George Eliot's characters come alive, and when you close the book you feel that they are still going about leading their lives.
If you want to read one of the great novels in the English language, then this book is a must read.
On starting this you may think that it is a tale about two sisters, but as you progress you will find it is so much more. Taking in a variety of themes and intertwining different plots this book is magnificent in scope and execution, and is the nearest thing to one of the great Russian novels ever produced in the English language. For me George Eliot's characters come alive, and when you close the book you feel that they are still going about leading their lives.
If you want to read one of the great novels in the English language, then this book is a must read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
not timeless
It's hard to fault a book written so long ago for being dated, so I won't. All I'll say is that the years have been kinder to Dickens whose characters and messages feel more... Read more
Published 23 days ago by bookster1
Repays careful reading
It's true that this novel is heavy, in bulk and in intensity, and that a person who is very busy might find it hard to persevere with it. Read more
Published 25 days ago by Luiza
A 'Classic' in every sense of the word
Middlemarch was written at a time of great political upheaval, and George Eliot shows the impact of those machinations, such as the introduction of the Poor Law, in a small English... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lynda Fernandez
amazing overview of victorian life
a classic, lots of good, bad, pompous, evil, vain and overall human characters that are very well developed and seem like real people. Read more
Published 1 month ago by H. O. Flynn
Great book, Bad edition
I know, I know, it was free. But could not at least one person have proof read it before release? I think even Microsoft's contextual spell checking could have made an improvement... Read more
Published 2 months ago by S Davies
NOT Middlemarch-as-she-was-wrote
I suppose that one cannot complain too much if you don't actually have to pay for something - but this edition is a great disappointment. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Clare S
Lack of force, excess of pages
I downloaded Middlemarch on the Kindle because I'd read that it gave amazing psychological insight into the characters ergo the people of the era. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Juliet Foster
George Elliot's Best
This is George Elliots best work in my opinion. I have read The Mill On The Floss and Daniel Deronda too, but Middlemarch has a wonderfully intimate feel as well as being... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Mr. Riaz Ali
A true great in the history of literature
Wow - what a rollercoaster. I finished Middlemarch last night, on my second attempt, and I am so glad I gave it a second go. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Stracs
A Classic Version of Corrie?
Only kidding. Middlemarch is a classic that, in my humble opinion, needs to be read with a great attention to detail and how characters interrelate. Read more
Published 6 months ago by G. Brooks
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