Theme of the middlemarch

1.  Presented by : Sanjay A. Dharaiya
 Paper no.6 : ( The Victorian Literature )
 Topic : Themes of The Middlemarch
 Course Sem : 2
 Roll no. : 25
 Email id : Dharaiy9@gmail.com
 Submitted to : S.B.Gardi Department of English MKB
University

2.  Mary Ann Evans known by her pen name George Eliot,
was an English novelist, poet, journalist, translator and
one of the leading writers of the Victorian era.
(1) Adam Bede (1859),
(2) The Mill on the Floss (1860),
(3) Silas Marner (1861),
(4) Romola (1862–63),
(5) Felix Holt, the Radical (1866),
(6) Middlemarch (1871–72)
(7) Daniel Deronda (1876),
 most of which are set in provincial England and known
for their realism and psychological insight.
 Although female authors were published under their
own names during her lifetime, she wanted to escape the
stereotype of women's writing being limited to
lighthearted romances.
 She also wanted to have her fiction judged separately
from her already extensive and widely known work as an
editor and critic.

3.  “Middlemarch” is written by George Eliot who was
born on November 22, 1819.
 Eliot chose to write her novels under a male
pseudonym Mary Anne Evans. This is a highly
unusual novel. Though It is primarily a Victorian
novel it has many characteristics typical to modern
novels.
 The subtitle of this novel is “A study of provincial
life.” This means the Middlemarch represents the
lives of ordinary people, not the grand adventures of
princes and kings.
 Middlemarch represents the spirit of nineteenth
century England through the unknown, historically
unremarkable common people.
 England is the process of rapid industrialization. We
can find many themes in this novel.

4. (1) Responsibility :
 This is a major theme of Fred's story, and he must becomes responsible for
his finances and his choices. Will does too, to a certain extent.
 Both men must learn how to rely on themselves, not infringe upon others,
and how to become independent in many ways.
(2) Stubbornness :
 A big issue of character. Rosamond is extremely stubborn, meaning that if
things aren't done her way, she will go behind other people's backs to do
things the way she thinks they should be done.
 Societal stubbornness is responsible for Lydgate's failure with his medical
practice; people want what they want, for whatever reasons, which means
that they are blind to things that might be best for them.

5. (3) Prejudice :
 A theme that Lydgate and Will Ladislaw cannot seem to beat.
 People in Middlemarch dislike anyone who is not from
Middlemarch, or anyone whose reputation seems questionable.
 Will and Lydgate are both good people, but it is initial prejudice,
sometimes based on invalid or circumstantial reasons, that means
that they are never liked or accepted in Middlemarch.
(4) Conformity
 An issue that is related to societal expectation, but is somewhat
different.
 People are supposed to conform to certain social ideals and norms
Dorothea is supposed to be a proper wife and then a proper widow,
and follow society's set guidelines about how to fill each position.
 Will fits no position that society tries to group him into, so he is
disliked; he refuses to be conventional or proper, or to fit into that
society and its ideas of how someone like Will should act.

6. (5) Love :
 Love keeps people together, or the lack or it lets them drift apart.
 Those who are truly in love like Will and Dorothea, Mary and Fred‹are bound
together by it, and are very alike in temperament and outlook.
 Those who lack it like Lydgate and Rosamond, Casaubon and Dorothea are
ill-suited to each other in marriage, and are very disappointed by their
unions.
(6) Unity of Middlemarch :
 The decisions made by every person in Middlemarch seem to have a direct
effect on at least one other person.
 Mary's decision to marry Fred means that Farebrother is without a wife.
 Dorothea's decision to choose Casaubon leads Sir James to choose Celia.
 Bulstrode's dirty dealings with regard to Raffles mean disgrace to both
Lydgate and Will Ladislaw.
 Everyone in Middlemarch is intimately connected, and it seems that no one
can move around without disturbing someone else.

7. (7) Societal Expectations :
 Closely linked to society's hierarchy, are ideas about how everyone
should act in certain situations.
 Lydgate proposes to Rosamond because society expects that he should
do it.
 Dorothea is pushed to live with someone else or marry again after she
is widowed, because society expects that it is right.
 People don't necessarily follow these expectations, nor should they;
but they do exist, and play a part in people's lives.
(8) Vanity :
 Especially relevant to Rosamond and her suitors. Rosamond is
exceptionally vain about her charm and her appearances, so much.
 That it is a shock to her when her friend Ladislaw says he doesn't love
her.
 Her unsuccessful suitors are all equally vain, and blame Lydgate, rather
than Rosamond's lack of interest, when she won't return their favor.

8. (9) Self-discovery :
 There are certain truths which every character learns about himself
in the course of trials; Lydgate and Rosamond find out more about
their characters through their money troubles, though they do not
always adjust accordingly.
 Dorothea makes the most dramatic journey of self-discovery, and
changes a great deal within the course of the novel.
(10) Reality vs. Expectations
 Many characters' preconceived ideas, especially of marriage, are
proven tragically wrong in the course of the book.
 Casaubon and Dorothea both have unrealistic ideas about marriage,
and are disappointed.
 Lydgate and Rosamond have the same idea, and are let down. Life
often defies what one expects, or could predict of it; and the people
who are happiest are the ones who have few expectations, or are most
flexible.

9.  Much is changing in the world of Middlemarch; English
society is evolving in social, economic, technologic areas.
 Socially, ideas of gender and class are in flux, as women are
proving more and more competent, and the Industrial
Revolution is causing a greater amount of social mobility.
 The economy of England is changing, from an aristocratic,
inheritance- based system of holding wealth and land, to one
based on commerce, business, and manufacturing.
 Technology is also changing, in medical science, and in areas
like transportation, and these are changes that are beginning
to sweep through Middlemarch.

10.  In this novel we can see many themes.
 In this novel everything is political in Middlemarch,
with most people strongly backing the conservative
party.
 People within the novel have varying ideas of family
obligation in the novel, though it is a strong force in
Middlemarch society.