A Deep Dive Into Middlemarch: Part 1
Unpacking one of my favorite classics!
Note: this post features spoilers for the book, so if you haven’t read Middlemarch and don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading!
Hello, friends, and welcome back to another post by The Kindness Cafe! Today, I’ll be talking about the 1871-1872 novel Middlemarch, which is one of my most frequently read classics. It’s not my favorite classic – that honor goes to Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters — but it ranks high on my list.
Because this book and its legacy has existed for generations, I decided to split this topic into two parts. The first part is all about the plot and main characters, and the second part will be about Eliot’s process for the book, the prominent themes and content discussed, and my thoughts on the book as a whole!
There’s a lot to get into, so let’s get started!
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Middlemarch is about a fictional town by the same name and its inhabitants. While the book’s main characters are the primary focus, the novel broadly focuses on the town as a whole and some of the misfortunes the characters are involved in.
The book is divided into three central conflicts with three different main characters that eventually intertwine to create one big narrative.
The main characters are:
Dorothea Brooke (main character #1) – a well-to-do orphan who lives with her sister and uncle on the outskirts of Middlemarch. Dorothea is bright, cunning, and wants to change things for other people, but as a woman, her plans for new housing for the tenants on her uncle’s land is not listened to.
Tertius Lydgate (main character #2) – a London doctor who is new to Middlemarch. Lydgate is welcomed, but his hopes to change the world of diseases and advance in modern science is shot down by the older citizens of the town.
Fred Vincy (main character #3) – a young rich man who struggles against his father’s wishes of becoming a clergyman. He is in love with his best friend, Mary, who will not accept his proposal until he has found a fulfilling purpose in life.
Edward Casaubon – Dorothea’s eventual husband. He’s many years older than her and is working slowly on his book, The Key To All Mythologies. Despite being something of a genius, Casaubon is stubborn and refuses to let Dorothea learn or help him with his book.
Will Ladislaw – Mr. Casaubon’s much younger distant cousin and an unwelcome guest in the Casaubon house. Will has a hard time finding his passion and is drawn to Dorothea, who empathizes with him.
Rosamond Vincy – Fred’s sister and Lydgate’s eventual wife. She’s the prettiest girl in town and a flirt. Rosamond tries to make a good match with Lydgate but doesn’t realize he is poor until after they are married.
Mary Garth – a young woman who lives on her family’s farm. She loves Fred Vincy but is worried about what will happen to the two of them if she accepts his proposal immediately.
#1: Dorothea
Dorothea Brooke is a wealthy young woman who lives with her uncle and her sister, Celia, in a large country house. Celia is extremely romantic, but Dorothea, as the protective older sister, wants more than marriage for herself. Dorothea longs for freedom to learn like her male counterparts, and she tries to find ways to do it, but she has limited options. Their family friend, Sir James Chettam, wants to marry her, but Dorothea doesn’t consent.
Though her uncle and sister strongly disapprove, Dorothea decides to marry the bookish Mr. Casaubon, who is many years her senior, in the hopes of learning from him. But only a few days after her wedding, on her honeymoon, Dorothea meets Will Ladislaw, Casaubon’s nephew, and is immediately drawn to him. Dorothea is torn between her husband and Will, and she must decide who to stick with. Will would a great partner, but he makes almost no income and they would be poor. But if she doesn’t stick with Mr. Casaubon, she wouldn’t get the fortune she was promised AND she wouldn’t learn – the whole reason she decided to marry him in the first place. To make matters worse, Dorothea is soon embroiled in a scandal involving the new doctor.
While she does not love Casaubon, she greatly admires him and his work, Key to All Mythologies, which he has been working on most of his life. Casaubon, while a great scholar, is behind in the world of science and Will Ladislaw believes that his work will never truly be acknowledged as a great work of art. Ladislaw and Casaubon are estranged due to long standing family circumstances, but also because Will can’t seem to find a good paying job. The estrangement only gets worse when Dorothea’s uncle asks Will to help run the newspaper in town, keeping the two relatives at arm’s length but close enough to run into each other at inopportune times.
All Dorothea really wants is an education from her husband, but unfortunately he dies of a heart problem, leaving her widowed in his big house and his manuscript unfinished. Dorothea suffers from loneliness – her sister, Celia, is now married to Sir James with a child — and now she must figure out what to do with her life – remarry or stay a widow forever. Thankfully she has money, but then Dorothea finds out that Mr. Casaubon has put a clause in his will that says if Dorothea marries Will, she will lose the entire fortune.
In the end, Dorothea gives up her fortune for Will, and they move to London, have two sons, and enjoy a long life together. In doing this, however, Dorothea gives up her dreams of reform to become a mother and wife.
#2: Tertius (Lydgate)
We then move to another character, Doctor Tertius Lydgate, who has moved to Middlemarch in hopes of learning more about the human brain and other new scientific discoveries. Lydgate, who hails from London, is an extraordinarily good doctor and heals people well, no matter the malady. Lydgate’s main goal is to become a surgeon, but he becomes sidetracked by public health and works to eradicate the diseases in Middlemarch.
Unfortunately, Lydgate finds himself trapped in the middle of a political medicine debate with the more narrow minded people in the town and the banker, Bulstrode, who eventually becomes his distant relative when he marries Rosamond Vincy, who is one of the most eligible ladies in town. Their marriage becomes a failure, and Lydgate lacks the time or effort in order to fix it or the rift sweeping through Middlemarch. He and Rosamond try to look for a home elsewhere, when Dorothea steps in and says she will help fund the new hospital and consoles Rosamond.
His reputation becomes tainted when Bulstrode suddenly receives an unwelcome guest named John Raffles. Raffles once worked for Bulstrode, and Bulstrode ordered him to do some unsavory business. Now, as Raffles is older and no longer working for him, Raffles threatens to spill all of Bulstrode’s secrets. Lydgate becomes involved when Raffles gets sick, but Bulstrode ignores the medical advice and lets Raffles die. Lydgate is suspected to be part of the cause for Raffle’s murder, even though he is innocent. Thankfully, Dorothea vouches for his innocence and the gossip dies down.
Tertius and Rosamond’s marriage continues to go poorly; Lydgate dies young —though successful — and Rosamond remarries.
#3: Fred
Finally, we are introduced to Fred Vincy, a young man who means well but tends to work up immense debts due to his love of gambling and horse racing. He’s in love with Mary Garth, the daughter of Caleb Garth, a man he consistently goes to for advice. Fred also wants to leave his father’s path of becoming a clergyman.
Mary is a nurse for the invalid Peter Featherstone, who is distantly related to the Vincys. Before he dies, Peter tries to convince Mary to change his will for money, but Mary refuses. Unfortunately, the old will leaves Fred barely anything, and if Mary had taken the new one, he would have gotten much more. Fred is not mad at Mary but at the situation and gets into more tough spots.
Meanwhile, Fred goes to the pastor Farebrother for advice about his and Mary’s relationship, where he finds out that Farebrother loves Mary as well. Instead of fighting over her, Farebrother gives Fred his chance and coaches him through some ideas. Fred decides to become a farmer once Rosamond squanders her money through her and Lydgate’s marriage. Though their marriage isn’t always smooth sailing, he and Mary eventually get married and have two children and have a good life together.
Although all of the storylines are incredible, my favorite is Fred and Mary’s love story. Eliot writes them as two decent people who try their best and sometimes make mistakes, but they eventually find their true happiness in each other. Plus their relationship is so sweet!
Next week, I’ll talk about the themes and points Eliot was trying to make, as well as Eliot’s own thoughts and views as she wrote Middlemarch!
Have you read Middlemarch before? If so, what did you think? If not, do you want to? Put your thoughts down below!
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