Middlemarch
George Eliot
Contains spoilers for the entire book.
Discussion topics
Topic 01 of 08
Dorothea's choice
Why does Dorothea marry Casaubon, and what does she hope to find?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the honeymoon in Rome?
- Is her idealism a strength, a weakness, or both?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.
Discussion topics
Why does Dorothea marry Casaubon, and what does she hope to find?
Keep the conversation going
- What did you make of the honeymoon in Rome?
- Is her idealism a strength, a weakness, or both?
How did you feel about Casaubon by the end, and did you ever pity him?
Keep the conversation going
- What does his Key to all Mythologies stand for?
- What does the codicil to his will reveal about him?
Why does Lydgate's marriage to Rosamond undo his ambitions?
Keep the conversation going
- Is Rosamond a villain, or a product of her upbringing?
- How does debt change their marriage?
What does Mary Garth see in Fred Vincy, and what does Fred have to learn?
Keep the conversation going
- What role does Caleb Garth play in Fred's growth?
- Why does Mary refuse to marry a clergyman she doesn't believe in?
How does the novel treat Bulstrode's hidden past and his hypocrisy?
Keep the conversation going
- Did you feel any sympathy for him after his fall?
- How does Mrs Bulstrode's loyalty change your view of their marriage?
What draws Dorothea to Will Ladislaw, and why does the town disapprove?
Keep the conversation going
- Is Dorothea's choice to marry him a fulfilment, or a sacrifice?
- What does Will offer her that Casaubon never could?
How does the town of Middlemarch itself shape the lives of the people in it?
Keep the conversation going
- Which of the town's opinions and gossips did you find most powerful?
- How does Reform and the coming railway change the town?
What do you make of the novel's final words about 'unhistoric acts' and 'unvisited tombs'?
Keep the conversation going
- Is Dorothea's life a success or a failure by the end?
- What does the novel suggest about how ordinary lives matter?
There is no single right answer. Bring your own reading.