Fifteen Fictions for Summer re-release: Middlemarch Part 1
Aug 22, 2024
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David, a literary expert, explores the rich political themes of George Eliot's *Middlemarch*, revealing its relevance to both historical and contemporary issues. He discusses the novel's setting during a time of transformation, highlighting the tensions between progress and societal resistance. The conversation touches on Dorothea Brooke's struggles within her marriage, representing the constraints faced by women. Additionally, David draws parallels between the 19th-century railway era and today's information revolution, emphasizing that wisdom is rooted in human experience.
Middlemarch intricately weaves personal relationships and political themes, showcasing how individual choices impact both morality and community dynamics.
The historical context of Middlemarch, set during pre-railway reforms and cholera fears, highlights societal apprehensions towards progress and change.
Deep dives
The Complexity of Personal Relationships
The novel Middlemarch primarily focuses on the intricate dynamics of personal relationships, exploring themes of love, marriage, and friendship. Although it presents political themes relevant to its setting, the relationships between characters serve as the core of its narrative. The personal struggles of individuals often overshadow the broader political context, revealing how interconnected morality and power are within these relationships. Through its characters, the novel illustrates how personal choices, trust, and betrayal can shape one's fate and impact their community.
The Historical Context and Its Impact
Set between 1829 and 1832, Middlemarch represents an era before significant developments like the understanding of cholera and the rise of the railway system. The novel captures a time when the fears surrounding cholera outbreaks led to misguided conclusions about its transmission, contrasting it with the eventual understanding of water contamination. This historical backdrop also emphasizes a period of political reform, marked by the passing of the Great Reform Act, which expanded the franchise for property men but still kept power within an elite circle. The characters and events within the novel reflect the struggle between old societal structures and emerging ideas of progress and reform.
Challenges of New Technologies
The coming of the railways serves as a significant theme in Middlemarch, with many characters expressing fear and resistance to this transformative technology. This reflects a societal apprehension towards change, as characters in the novel view the railways as a mechanism that benefits the wealthy, perpetuating social inequality. The novel illustrates the conflict between the promise of progress and the reluctance to embrace the unknown, capturing the tension between advancing technology and societal acceptance. This thematic concern highlights the complexities of navigating new innovations and their impact on everyday life.
Loss of Faith and Moral Dilemmas
The narrative also delves into the relationship between morality and power, especially as it relates to the characters' evolving beliefs about religion and faith. George Eliot's own loss of faith becomes a subtle undercurrent in the story, as the characters navigate their lives under the influence of Christianity while grappling with the implications of moral choices. The protagonist, Dorothea Brooke, embodies the struggle for self-determination against societal expectations and constrictive marriages, portraying the inner conflict between personal desires and moral obligations. This exploration of faith, power, and morality invites readers to reflect on the profound implications of their choices within the same moral framework.
Today’s Great Political Fiction is George Eliot’s Middlemarch (1872), which has so much going on that it needs two episodes to unpack it. In this episode David discusses the significance of the book being set in 1829-32 and the reasons why Nietzsche was so wrong to characterise it as a moralistic tale. Plus he explains why a book about personal relationships is also a deeply political novel.
Also today: Middlemarch Part 2
Tomorrow: Anthony Trollope’s Phineas Redux
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