Our april selectionyes, aprilwill be middlemarch by george eliot. This was eliots most comprehensive and sweeping novel to date, and was intended as a study of provincial british life. Middlemarch book club kit bellingham public library. Brooke at tipton grange in middlemarch, a small town in the english countryside. Middlemarch april cc book club selection college confidential. In george eliots middlemarch there are many moments of these later born theresas eliot, quality paperback book club edition, p. Middlemarch a study of provincial life book club kit. Middlemarch by george eliot reading guidebook club. Our next discussion will be monday, january 20th at 2pm est, and we will read. In the english village of middlemarch in the early 1830s, dorothea brooke is a young idealist, busying middlemarch the books the book club abc tv abc home. Dec 02, 20 if youve somehow missed being hounded by me to read first middlemarch and in the new year my life in middlemarch, you can catch up here. Topics about this book topics that mention this book. Last time, we talked about the wee meetandgreet that rebecca mead will be doing for toast readers prior to her nypl event on january 29th.
Middlemarch is a treasurehouse of details, but it is an indifferent whole. Middlemarch is at once one of the strongest and one of the weakest of english novels. Discuss the relationship between religious and secular, spiritual and worldly, in the novel. If youve somehow missed being hounded by me to read first middlemarch and in the new year my life in middlemarch, you can catch up here. Everything you need for your book club to have a lively and wellinformed discussion of george eliots beloved masterpie. Virginia woolf called middlemarch one of the few english books written for grownup people. Ideas for reading and discussion kindle edition by rohan maitzen. Content includes books from bestselling, midlist and debut authors.
In advance of the pride and prejudice tbc guide, heres a discussion question in two parts to get things rolling. We will not be stretching our discussion out nearly so long as that, but this first volumemiss brookedoes benefit from being exactly itself, and. The best part of reading in a group is getting to dissect the book with other smart people after youre done reading. I have gone back to middlemarch every five years or so, my emotional response to it evolving at each revisiting. Taking place in the years leading up to the first reform bill of 1832, middlemarch explores nearly every subject of concern to modern life. Middlemarch by george eliot middlemarch by george eliot. Were going to make great use of your discussion questions and your reading tips, im sure. Read middlemarch for book clubs ideas for reading and discussion by rohan maitzen available from rakuten kobo. George eliots masterpiece, middlemarch, appeared after the deaths of thackeray 1863 and dickens 1870. Discussion questions use our litlovers book club resources. Ideas for reading and discussion kindle edition by maitzen, rohan.
Mar 01, 2014 my sister and i have a longdistance book club of sorts, and we are reading middlemarch this month. Middlemarch is a grand book albeit one with many faults. A study of provincial life explores a fictional nineteenthcentury. See all formats and editions hide other formats and editions.
Course heros expertwritten discussion question and answer pairs for george eliots middlemarch offer insight and analysis on themes, symbols, characters, and more. Middlemarch by george eliot meet your next favorite book. I thought our last discussion was delightfully engaging and sprightly, and i really appreciate how many of you have dived into a seeminglystaid task with such vim. How to discuss a book helpful discussion tips generic discussion questionsfiction and nonfiction readthinktalk a guided reading chart also consider these litlovers talking points to help get a discussion started for. Middlemarch by george eliot, is available only to members. Middlemarch by eliot george reading guidebook club. Im linking back here from my blog so others in the club can also benefit from your tips and suggestions. Early on in pride and prejudice, austens heroine, elizabeth bennet, says of mr. We chose this book early because it is quite an undertaking anywhere from 600 to 800 pages depending on your font. The novel middlemarch by george eliot tells the story of life in. This is difficult to interpret because of the internal relations of its subplots, the relation of portions of the plot to each other and to the narrative voice, and the relationship of different narrative judgments and expressions of sympathy and affect to each.
Gsl has his own comments which include an author biography relevant to our reading and which will put the novel in context with other books you may have read. On the other hand, especially with a long book that has many parts and aspects, it can also be like wandering a new. Set in a fictitious midlands town from 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Widely regarded as the quintessential victorian novel, middlemarch is a superb study of life among the upper and upper middle classes of a fictional rural community in 1830s england. Dorothea brooke is a young woman living with her uncle and sister in the smallbutgrowing town of middlemarch, england in around 1830. The story of saint theresa is clearly set up as a keynote for the novel. The realist work is a study of every class of society in the town of middlemarch, but the focus is on the thwarted idealism of dorothea brooke and tertius lydgate, both of whom marry disastrously. In connection with penguin classics 60th anniversary release of jane austen. Middlemarch was first published in 1871 and 1872, as a serial novel in eight parts, which came out every two months. Read it forward readers told us theyre stories that have some real meat to itones that deal with issues ripe for discussion and that can be interpreted in multiple ways. George eliots beloved masterpiece in a penguin classics deluxe edition with a foreword by rebecca mead, author of the bestselling memoir my life in middlemarch a triumph of realist fiction, george eliots middlemarch. May 16, 2012 it declares the ultimate death sentence for a book club is george eliots middlemarch. This study guide consists of approximately 67 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of middlemarch.
Middlemarch intended for those who have always wanted to read that one classic novel of gargantuan proportions but never did or didnt finish. I always admire what you do, but have never lined up my own reading with the clubs. A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. A study of provincial life explores a fictional nineteenthcentury midlands town in the midst of. Does eliot change the definition of what an epic life is by the end of the novel. What are some complexities and difficulties in interpreting the novels narrative voice. Overview of the intimidating book club intended for those who have always wanted to read that one classic novel of gargantuan proportions but never did or. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc. And members say any clubs which discuss sean bean are destined for failure. Ive been in a lot of book clubs, and i know its not always easy to get a conversation going on a book.
Aug 06, 2014 in george eliots middlemarch there are many moments of these later born theresas eliot, quality paperback book club edition, p. This group will read a notoriously lengthy book widely considered a classic, section by section, and meet monthly for a one hour discussion. Ive found that the best book club discussion questions are ones that are openended and that get people to share their personal opinions. How to discuss a book helpful discussion tips generic discussion questionsfiction and nonfiction readthinktalk a guided reading chart also consider these litlovers talking points to help get a discussion started for middlemarch 1. Middlemarch, a study of provincial life is a novel by the english author george eliot mary anne evans, appearing in eight instalments volumes in 1871 and 1872. The novel middlemarch by george eliot tells the story of life in a small, rural english town in the early nineteenth century. It takes 900 pages to draw its conclusions, but theyre 900 pages of some of the richest realist writing nineteenthcentury literature has to offer, full of. Classic deluxe edition, this lively discussion will. Overview of the intimidating book club intended for those who have always wanted to read that one classic novel of gargantuan proportions. Librarians jennie, megan, pete and special guests will discuss the reading and ask or answer questions that come up during the sunday discussion. March by geraldine brooks book club discussion questions.
Have read it multiple timesnow ill just have to squeeze in a reread before aprilcant wait. There are several stories here that could be at the center of a novel and eliot seems unable to choose between them, presenting instead a sometimes uncomfortable mix of foci. Themes in the novel include the way that people react to change, womens roles, marriage, and relationships. The final version, as you know, is called middlemarch. Middlemarch, novel by george eliot, first published in eight parts in 187172. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage. Ideas for reading and discussion kindle edition by rohan maitzen author format.
I so enjoyed this episode and found myself nodding and smiling through most of it. My sister and i have a longdistance book club of sorts, and we are reading middlemarch this month. If youre ready to start a book club, heres 40 of the best book club questions, for fiction. Originally, this novel was going to be called miss brooke that became the title of the first volume. It declares the ultimate death sentence for a book club is george eliots middlemarch. So, i very nicely requested that everyone who has any interest in doing so read to the end of book one ch.
These are not the famous martyrs of old stories and epic poetry, but the subtle characters that help to further along the society in its. Thanks so much for embarking on this journey to read this celebrated work. I did not hear the episode with the call to read middlemarch, but by pure luck i just finished it within the last couple of weeks. Karen joy fowler, author of the bestselling the jane austen book club, joins other austen enthusiasts including novelists siri hustvedt and jennifer egan to celebrate the work of one of english literatures bestloved authors. What obstacles does she face, and how are her aspirations fulfilled. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading middlemarch for book clubs. All these people, solid and vivid in their varying degrees, are members of a deeply human little world, the full reflection of whose antique image is the great merit of these volumes. Intended for those who have always wanted to read that one classic novel of gargantuan proportions but never did or didnt finish.
Middlemarch for book clubs ideas for reading and discussion. Middlemarch please come to this meeting having read the following volumes of middlemarch by george eliot. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Two relevant pieces of information for middlemarch book clubbers. Dorothea, the beautiful, clever sister, immediately attracts the attention of sir. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, selfinterest, religion, hypocrisy. Discussion questions the big picture it can be a great and revelatory adventure reading a book for the first time with a completely open mind no preconceptions, no expectations, no set interpretations. The description of the event, book club discussion. Middlemarch suggests that it is always too late to be what you might have beenbut it also shows that, virtually without exception, the unrealized life is worth living. It can be a great and revelatory adventure reading a book for the first time with a completely.
515 654 560 689 1368 1523 452 1479 1138 23 1471 228 66 1278 1198 895 153 1241 291 1137 524 1305 466 17 830 148 757 1151