Middlemarch, a conversation

Chapter 43  With these posts, I'd like to do a little more than just summary—I'd like to analyze some of the details that give the novel its richness. But I'm increasingly finding that what I want to address leads me to giving away plot points.  In any case, here we get our first glimpse into the domestic life of Lydgate and Rosamond—but first the awkward and unplanned meeting of Will and Dorothea at the Lydgates'. Eliot allows to see how both Dorothea and Will "process" this encounter, and I'm struck by the apparent difficulty Dorothea has in seeing why it might be untoward for a married woman to play host to an unmarried man alone (apart from her husband). Dorothea really is this innocent with regard to the realities of male-female attraction, it seems. In her defense, she senses that something might be objectionable, but she can't quite identify it with any specificity. But this scene does push her closer to gaining some first-hand understanding of

How convenient! Valentine's Day is just a few days away, so in honor of Book IV—Three Love Problems—I share with you some pictures of a genre I didn't know existed until 10 minutes ago: "vinegar" Valentines. Chapters 34 – 35  Funeral and reading of will all in the same morning—how efficient! I find it interesting that in the first pagaraph, Eliot effectively says: Featherstone was not a good man. But of course she knows what will emerge when the wills (plural) are read. For a moment, it seems that Fred Vincy will inherit £10,000 (the equivalent, one source tells me, of $1.7 million today), but a later will alters most of the inheritances so that money will be left to build poorhouses for old men. Except for the manor and land that will go to the "frog-faced" stranger, Joshua Rigg—who will now become Joshua Featherstone. One other detail in Ch. 34 is of note: Will Ladislaw is near (staying at Tipton Grange with Mr. Brooke), and Dorothea is aware of the disple

Ch. 23  We come to know Fred Vincy much better in this chapter, following along as he attempts to make some money in horse-trading. We also learn more about Caleb Garth (Mary's father, and, some critics have suggested, a man modeled on Eliot's own father). You can move quickly through this chapter, focusing your attention mainly on Fred's ability to delude himself (at which he is expert). Ch. 24 I find this chapter painful to re-read. The plot turn (Fred facing the Garths with his unfortunate news) is clear enough, but I'm more interested in the character portraits of Caleb and (wife) Susan Garth. Eliot holds them both in high regard, it seems, though she does let Caleb have his flaws. Interestingly, his most significant flaw appears to be his generosity, feckless though it may be. Jay, when you finish this chapter, I wonder what you might predict for the future relationship between Fred and the Garths. And, more specifically, how do you think Fred's next visit with