Middlemarch - George Eliot

George Eliot's Middlemarch has been described as the quintessential English novel. Its subtitle, 'A Study of Provincial Life', forewarns the reader of a tedious slog through the lives of country gentry. Normally a prolific reader, it took me several long months to complete this ponderous tome. Contrary to the customary publishing of Victorian novels in three parts, or books, Middlemarch is divided into eight. The story divides its attention between a plethora of characters; its two main players being Dorothea, a young girl with strong aspirations of virtue, and Tertius Lydate, an aspiring modern doctor recently moved to Middlemarch. Both characters begin with high hopes for the future and are consequently confronted with reality's bitter disappointments.

Middlemarch is set in the years immediately preceding the Reform Act of 1832, thus highlighting many of the political apprehensions during this time. Although politics forms the backdrop for the unfolding drama, the book can be read without any knowledge of such events. I found much of the narration pompous and condescending, even bullying at times, although Eliot does make an effort to present conflicting character viewpoints to prevent reader bias. Despite my dislike of the novel, her narrative scope is certainly ambitious, perhaps excessively so at times. It was sometimes difficult to remember who all the characters were, particularly because a lot of them are too similar or downright boring to induce recall. When you've met one antiquated, overweight physician or clergyman, you've met them all.

The overriding themes of the book are foiled expectations and frustrated love. Many of the characters are forced into major readjustments after encountering insurmountable obstacles, ranging from unsatisfactory marriages, to lost inheritance. The contemporary reader is apt to find little sympathy with the characters's struggles, many of which are the result of nearsightedness and frivolous education. There is no real tension to the tribulations, unless the threat of public scorn and bankrupty can be counted, and one is never without the assurance that all will eventually be happily resolved. At best, Middlemarch is an epic social commentary interspersed with snippets of Eliot's wry sagacity. It must be noted that Rosemary Ashton's introduction in the Penguin edition reads like a sixth form student's essay. Would not recommend.

Rating: 1/5