E.M.’s Comments (group member since Dec 26, 2014)

E.M.’s comments from the Classics Without All the Class group.

Yes, sad but true. I love that she can find the humor in it!

I really like this quote from Eliot, which I think sums up Middlemarch pretty well: "The only effect I ardently long to produce by my writings, is that those who read them should be better able to imagine and to feel the pains and the joys of those who differ from themselves in everything but the broad fact of being struggling erring human creatures."

Glad you finished (and glad you liked it)! Yeah, maybe I was a little too hard on Rosamund. She is just so horrifyingly self-centered! But I guess you're right... not really evil. But then again, I felt bad for Bulstrode too. He's not a very sympathetic character, but one does pity him. I guess that's the beauty of Middlemarch -- there aren't any real villains and you feel empathy for everyone by the end, regardless of their flaws.

Yeah, to me Bulstrode and Rosamund were the "villains" of the novel. I ended up pitying Bulstrode a little, but Rosamund not so much. As you say, Lydgate was no gem, but it does seem like he deserved a little better. Oh well, at least there were some happy endings.

My first thoughts:

Rosamund: Amanda Seyfried

Dorothea: young Jennifer Connelly

Casaubon: Alan Rickman

Of course movie versions of Middlemarch already exist, but if you could direct your own, and cast anyone (living or dead) from any period in their career -- who would it be???

Awesome that you finished :) I'm nearly done... should be finished by the end of the week.

I think you're absolutely right about Mary and Fred. I think they're my favorites too. I love Mary's humor.

There's pretty cool article about how the serialization process influenced Eliot while she was writing this book if you want to check it out: http://www.uv.es/~fores/gearon.html (Serialization is kind of my pet subject these days and I wrote about it on my blog in case you're interested: http://www.eremiamabebe.com/serial-lo... -- I hope that's not too self-promotiony!) Anyhoo... I'll post my thoughts when I finish.

What about Lydgate and Rosamund? How did you end up feeling about their storyline?

Thomas wrote: "the mistakes that we male and female mortals make when we have our own way might fairly raise some wonder that we are so fond of it..."

LOL! I love her dry humor.

This one also made me laugh:

(From Ch. 29)

"...Whether Providence had taken equal care of Miss Brooke in presenting her with Mr. Casaubon was an idea which could hardly occur to him. Society never made the preposterous demand that a man should think as much about his own qualifications for making a charming girl happy as he thinks of hers for making himself happy. As if a man could choose not only his wife but his wife's husband!"

Thomas wrote: "...I've also found myself looking up information about the politics of the time to better understand the Brooke-Ladislaw story line. ..."

Ooh that sounds interesting. Have you learned anything worth sharing? My understanding of the politics behind it all is pretty basic.

Charity wrote: "On one hand I feel kinda sorry for her, but she is a selfish little thing. Which do you think had the most epic failure in marriage Rosamund or Dorothea?"

I'm re-reading the book now, and I can't exactly remember how satisfied Rosamund ends up being with her marriage. If my memory is correct, it's actually Lydgate who I felt most sorry for by the end. But I may change my opinion after I finish reading this time around.

What about you? Who do you pity the most?

Charity wrote: "Dorothea is a flake, ever changing from one second to the next..."

Lol, yes I do know what you mean about wanting to reach into the book and punch (or maybe just shake?) someone. I felt that way about Mr. Brooke allowing Dorothea to marry Casaubon. But that's a sign of a well-written book, no? That it involves you enough with the characters that you want to interact with them?

How do you feel about Rosamund? She's certainly not a flake (and kind of Dorothea's opposite)!

I think this is probably the most famous quote from Middlemarch, but it's so beautiful and true I thought it would be a good one to start things off:

From Chapter 20 (Dorothea in Rome)

"Nor can I suppose that when Mrs. Casaubon is discovered in a fit of weeping six weeks after her wedding, the situation will be regarded as tragic. Some discouragement, some faintness of heart at the new real future which replaces the imaginary, is not unusual, and we do not expect people to be deeply moved by what is not unusual. That element of tragedy which lies in the very fact of frequency, has not yet wrought itself into the coarse emotion of mankind; and perhaps our frames could hardly bear much of it. If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence."

Middlemarch is a book that is full of wonderful quotes, but at the same time it's so long that it's easy to miss things. I thought it would be nice to have a thread where everyone can share the quotes they particularly liked -- hopefully we'll all discover things we might have otherwise skimmed over.

So... what touched you? What did you find wise or insightful or beautifully written? What did you disagree with?

(If anyone wants to share, maybe put the chapter first so we can avoid spoilers!)

I have to say I'm actually feeling a lot of sympathy for Casaubon. He really is such a stick in the mud, but you kind of feel like it isn't wholly his fault.

I love this chapter opening:

"One morning, some weeks after her arrival at Lowick, Dorothea—but why always Dorothea? Was her point of view the only possible one with regard to this marriage? I protest against all our interest, all our effort at understanding being given to the young skins that look blooming in spite of trouble; for these too will get faded, and will know the older and more eating griefs which we are helping to neglect. In spite of the blinking eyes and white moles objectionable to Celia, and the want of muscular curve which was morally painful to Sir James, Mr. Casaubon had an intense consciousness within him, and was spiritually a-hungered like the rest of us...."

Also not totally loving Will at the moment. He seems kind of fickle and dilettantish.

Just curious -- where is everybody? I'm in the middle of book 5.

Dominika wrote: "I think the St. Teresa comparison isn't meant to portray Dorothea as special, perfect or immune from making mistakes...."

I think you're absolutely right. I didn't mean to imply that Dorothea (or St. Theresa!) was supposed to be flawless -- I guess I was more interested in whether people find Dorothea likeable or annoying, since opinions on her seem often to be polarized.

The first time I read Middlemarch, at twenty, I adored Dorothea heart and soul -- I saw so much of myself in her. With each subsequent reading (Middlemarch is one of my favorite books and I read it every couple years) I've sympathized with her a little less, and found her a tiny fraction more annoying. Who knows, maybe I associate her with my younger self? I still love her, of course, and she's still one of my favorite characters in literature, but the love is tempered with a little eye rolling... Oh Dorothea, there you go again making your life difficult...

Ebster wrote: "I'm only on chapter six, but right now I keep thinking "Please don't be the main character. please don't be the main character ""

Lol. Too naive or too earnest? (Or just too annoying?) I loved Dorothea the first time I read Middlemarch, but this time around I find her a little irritating to be honest.

Anyway ... not to worry! This book has a huge cast and plenty of other major characters. Just keep going -- you won't be disappointed!

If you find the going starts getting too slow, maybe switch to the audiobook for a while? There's an unabridged version read by one of my favorite narrators, Nadia May. She's wonderful with all the different British accents and has a really lovely voice that's perfect for this sort novel.

Holly wrote: "I can tell this novel will be slow-going for me, but Eliot's prose is just gorgeous. I feel like I'm highlighting the entire book on my Kindle."

Right?! I love all her little authorial asides. So insightful and wise!

Yeah, Celia definitely seems to have more common sense. But then Celia wants different things, right? I guess the question is, if the thing you wanted most in the world was knowledge, and you thought the only way you could get that was by marrying a brilliant man...?

I don't know what I would have done in Dorothea's shoes. Probably waited a little longer before rushing in. Reading this, I kind of wanted to shake her uncle ... DON'T LET HER DO ITTTTT!