Middlemarch
There is so much that can be said about Middlemarch it is hard to know where to begin. I could start by saying that I finally get this genre thanks to George Eliot. Here are a few other observations:
On the surface the novel is about Victorian provincial life. Middlemarch, the name of the town where the characters reside, is also a character in the book.
The mastery of this novel is that Eliot creates a horde of characters, gets inside all their heads, makes them all seem real and sympathetic.
She masterly describes what made life at this time challenging and even terrifying. Marriage, culture, the economy, politics, family can all be seen with clarity. Reading this book it is impossible to say marriage was what held women back. Or that men liked being in a position of authority over women. It was just way more complicated than that.
Not to mention that there are about a dozen main characters, at least as many supporting characters, and a host of townspeople. Somehow it didn't get confusing and it stayed interesting. That is a feat in itself. This novel is one of the closest things to perfection that I've ever read.
Victorian times were in many ways like being at a high school where no one ever graduates. So there is a bit of comedy, a bit of horror, and a whole lot of gossip--all rolled into one.
On the surface the novel is about Victorian provincial life. Middlemarch, the name of the town where the characters reside, is also a character in the book.
The mastery of this novel is that Eliot creates a horde of characters, gets inside all their heads, makes them all seem real and sympathetic.
She masterly describes what made life at this time challenging and even terrifying. Marriage, culture, the economy, politics, family can all be seen with clarity. Reading this book it is impossible to say marriage was what held women back. Or that men liked being in a position of authority over women. It was just way more complicated than that.
Not to mention that there are about a dozen main characters, at least as many supporting characters, and a host of townspeople. Somehow it didn't get confusing and it stayed interesting. That is a feat in itself. This novel is one of the closest things to perfection that I've ever read.
Victorian times were in many ways like being at a high school where no one ever graduates. So there is a bit of comedy, a bit of horror, and a whole lot of gossip--all rolled into one.
Comments