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Guardian Newspaper 1000 Novels discussion
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The Mill on the Floss
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Mill on the Floss, The - April 2015
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Lisa
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rated it 5 stars
Apr 09, 2015 08:05AM
April group read from 'love'
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I am not a big Eliot fan but if I can find the time, I will read this.
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Anyways, if you do try it, I found the first 1/3 at least (maybe up to 1/2!) fairly boring, but the second half really picked up. Don't give up if you don't like the beginning!
I'm hoping to read this. I love Elliot. Middlemarch is a firm favorite
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I think if you love Middlemarch, this is definitely worth a read. The writing alone is worth it for an Eliot fan. My dislikes of the book were all character personality traits and some unexpected plot points. Its hard to say without spoilers, but the dislikes do not extend to the writing itself, for sure!
I'm about 150 pages in and enjoying it. the introduction to my 1950s edition goes to great length in saying that they think Maggie is a wonderfully convincing character apart from falling for a rogue, as she'd be far too sensible for that. I think that Elliott has painted her as impetuous, excitement loving and only shown love and given attention by her father - at this stage I can totally see her falling for a sweet talking rogue. We shall see more when we get to book three. Also, the foreshadowing of floods, drownings and rivers isn't exactly subtle :)
Have started this. I love Elliot's prose, her descriptions of the pastoral hamlet are so soft, gentle. My best way of describing it is that she writes about beautiful settings the way that Monet paints.And then we meet the characters. There's anger in their descriptions, especially of the adults and their attitudes toward women. The comments about how smart girl children are a hindrance and a nuisance fall like acid onto this gorgeous setting.
I'm guessing that these are comments that Elliot had directed around herself, an intelligent woman, who was not conforming to the world around her.
And then I wonder how much attitudes towards women have actually shifted. I read about first world wage discrepancies & look at the human rights violations directed towards women in third world settings & feel the attitudes about women professionals and I wonder if the shift we have made in women's rights is as far as we think it should be...
Getting off my soapbox now.
just finished this. George Eliot ... I hate you! That dammed ending! I feel so cheated. I shall post more when I've gathered my thoughts.
She's intense & very good at unhappy outcomes.
Ach - I didn't believe the ending and thought it was completely unnecessary, pandering to some mid-Victorian idea of being punished for trangressions of the mind. Plus, it came out of nowhere. It felt like she got bored of the book and just decided to finish it in one chapter. As you can see, I'm still angry :)
I'm still reading this, up to book 3.Poor Maggie, so unwanted & desperate for affection all because she is not the ideal. I'm constantly annoyed by Tom putting her down.
i was aware that education at the time wasn't formalized, but did not realize that teachers could teach whatever they felt like.
Phil, Kaycie did you understand what the law suit was about?
Phil wrote: "Ach - I didn't believe the ending and thought it was completely unnecessary, pandering to some mid-Victorian idea of being punished for trangressions of the mind. Plus, it came out of nowhere. It f..."Will tell you what I think.
Please do Lisa.The lawsuit is complicated, but I think that a Mr Parvet (represented by Wakem in court) a landowner up stream on the Floss wants to dam the river and use it to irrigate his fields. Tulliver, thinking this will interfere with his Mill's ability to function sues Parvet to stop this happening. He loses the case and has to mortgage the Mill to pay his own lawyer, the mortgage is later bought by Wakem, etc etc.
