George Eliot, whose real name was Mary Anne Evans, was a 19th century English novelist and journalist. Her most famous work is the novel Middlemarch, which follows the lives and romances of several residents of the small town of Middlemarch. The novel focuses on three major love stories: Dorothea Brooke marries the elderly scholar Edward Casaubon hoping to help with his intellectual work but finds him lacking passion; Lydgate marries Rosamond Vincy based on her beauty but they are unhappy as he is devoted to his medical career; and Mary Garth helps save Fred Vincy from unhappily entering the clergy by refusing to marry him if he chooses that path. The characters and their intertwining personal

2.  George Eliot
- Mary Anne Evans (22 Nov 1819-22 Dec 1880)
- She was known by her pen name George Eliot.
- English novelist, journalist, translator & one of
the leading writers of the modern age.
- Author of 7 novels- Adam Bede, The mill on the
Floss, Silas Marner, Remola, Flelix Holt the
Radical, Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda.

3.  Major characters
 Dorothea Brooke
 Arthur Brooke
 Nicholas Bulstrode
 Edward Casaubon
 Sir James Chettam
 Will Ladislaw
 Lydgate
 Fred Vincy
 Rosamond Vincy

4. Dorothea and
Casaubon
Rosamond Vincy
and Lydgate
Mary Garth and
Fred Vincy
Three major love stories-

5.  Why Dorothea married Casaubon?
- Because Dorothea thinks Casaubon is a great
intellectual. Her main ambition in life is to take on
a noble project- so she marries a dried up old
scholar named Casaubon. But after she marries
him, she quickly discovers that he is not
passionate enough to make her happy, because
Casaubon’s lifelong ambition is to write “Key to all
mythologies”, but he is insecure and uncertain
about his own abilities. He married Dorothea
because he thinks she is completely submissive
and worshipful.

6.  Why Lydgate married Rosamond?
- Lydgate is an idealistic young doctor, moves to
Middlemarch to set up a practice with his new-
tangled ideas about medicine and science.
Lydgate falls in love with Rosamond Vincy
because she is very beautiful and made her more
charming than other girls. So he married her.
Rosamond also thinks that he is rich and because
he has titled relatives. More unhappiness in
marriage, Lydgate discovers that Rosamond is
superficial and selfish and Rosamond learns that
Lydgate will always be “married” to his work as a
doctor, and they run out of money because
neither of them knows how to stick to a budget.

7.  Marriage of Fred and Mary
- Mary tells Fred that she will not marry if he
becomes a clergyman. Her condition saves Fred
from an unhappy entrapment in an occupation he
doesn’t like.
 The stories of Dorothea’s uncle’s political career,
Lydgates medical practice, and Mary Garths
business are as important as the romantics. The
personal and the political are inextricably linked in
Middlemarch.

8. Comparison between
Casaubon & Ladislaw
 Casaubon becomes
jealous of Will’s
relationship with
Dorothea. Though they
are only friends.
 He writes a will that
Dorothea will lose his
wealth & property if she
ever marries Will
Ladislaw.
 Ladislaw is the
grandson of
Casaubon’s
disinherited aunt.
 Bulstrode tries to give
him money to atone
for hiding his
existence from his
grandmother.
 As the money of
thievery, he refused it
and worshipped
Dorothea rather than
money.