Middlemarch

Middlemarch by George Eliot is a slightly intimidating book, meant only for the serious classic English Literature lovers. I have picked it up twice and left it after the first few pages. The main drawback was its size, I couldn't really lie down and read such a heavy book. It is about 793 page long and the hard bound edition looked so good that I didn't want to spoil it. However, somehow, I made it a point to go beyond the first 100 pages and it was worth the effort. George Elliot has written about a typical English rural life, set in the early 1800s, during the reform movement in England. The early reform movement that went on during the 18th and 19th centuries, was an attempt to increase the number of voters and reduce the influence of rich landlords. It is quite difficult now to imagine that only those who owned a certain amount of land were eligible to vote.

The rural life in England was largely a closed environment, where newcomers were looked upon suspiciously. Middlemarch is a typical small rural town, where there are few old rich families that control the society and were consulted in all matters including agriculture, industry, clergy and even scientific matters. The newcomers are treated with some wariness and any changes to the old ways of living are considered a threat to the peace and well being of the society. The book traces the story of the protagonist, Dorothea Brooke and a few others as they try to change the old ways of life in Middlemarch.

Dorothea Brooke is an innocent, naive, but idealistic young woman, who wishes to be part of something noble and grand in her life. She is not interested in the typical idle life of the rich young women of that era and is more interested in social and political reform. She however realises that she has to work within the limitations of the society and hopes that her idealistic marriage to a  researcher and scholar will help her achieve her goals. Little does she realise that her 'muse' is not really what she had hoped for. Meanwhile there are other characters like Dorothea's simple and sweet cousin, Celia, the dreamy and gorgeous Rosamond, the witty Will Ladislaw, the serious and hardworking doctor, Tertius Lydgate who influence her life.

I liked the book because of the absorbing web of stories that have been weaved into it. Each character has been expanded and has a nice loop to the main story of Dorothea Brooke. But it is not done in a predictably obvious manner. For quite some time, you are unaware that there is a main male character at all. The female characters are quite dominant in the first half of the book. There are three very different men who have been portrayed very well in the  book. Dorothea's life takes many turns in the book and in the course of it, she matures into a more strong woman. The political movement, the importance of money in politics, even back in the 1800s is brought about beautifully.

Each marriage in the book is described differently and quite interestingly. There is Dorothea's marriage to Casaubon, the scholar, where he is the one who holds all the power. But Dorothea is emotionally stronger and willingly submits to Casaubon. The marriage of Celia and Henry is charming, because Henry is the loving husband who cannot bear to disobey the wishes of his beloved wife. Then there is the tension in the household of Rosamond and Lydgate, where there is a power struggle every day. The loving husband who thinks he has the upper hand, ultimately becomes more and more submissive to his controlling wife.

What I did not probably like in the book was that the main character is made out to be too simple and gullible. She is portrayed as a morally pure and pristine character who bears the burden of all the others. But then since it is a female character, she is bound to act within the strict structure of the society.