Reading Journal - Week 5 - Middlemarch

Reading Journal – Week 5
Eliot's "Middlemarch"

Dorthea
Inexperienced, insecure, passionate, idealistic, attentive

“Some discouragement, some faintness of heart at the new real future which replaces the imaginary, is not unusual, and we do not expect people to be deeply move by what is not unusual.” “the large vistas and wide fresh air which she had dreamed of finding in her husbands mind were replaced by anterooms and winding passages which seemed to lead nowither?”

Dorthea had an idealized version of what marriage was going to be, and now has to come to terms with what it actually is.

“Casaubon had often dwelt on some explanation or questionable detail of which Dorthea did not see the bearing; but such imperfect coherence seemed due to the brokenness of their intercourse, and, supported by her faith in their future, she had listened with fervid patience…”

Dorthea did not understand Casaubon’s obsessions with random details, but had faith that she simply did not understand him well enough and likely believed herself not intelligent enough to follow what he was saying

Mr Casaubon
dull, mature (in that he has a mature outlook on life, not in that he is emotionally or mentally mature), detached, intellectual, insecure

• “…no man was more incapable of flashy make-believe than Mr. Casubon: he was as genuine a character as any ruminant animal, and he had not actively assisted in creating any illusions about himself.”
• Casubon was a no-nonsense, very factual individual. A no frills, you see what you get kinda guy.


Will Ladislaw
Impatient, agreeable, idealistic, rash, passionate
“…she would have lost some of her halo if she had been without that duteous preoccupation; and yet at the next moment the husband’s sandy absorption of such nectar was too intolerable; and Will’s longing to say damaging things about him was perhaps not the less tormenting because he felt the strongest reasons for restraining it.”
Will had an idealized and contradictory version of Dorthea in his head, one that could not end happily. She could not be both – only one or the other.


In Eliot’s opinion (found in On Realism), what are some of the author’s most important responsibilities when designing characters for fiction? Do you think she “practices what she preaches” in Middlemarch? Why or why not?
The most important responsibility is to create realistic believable characters, the goal is not to do what you wish with your characters but to make it believable, and something that you could see them doing. The characters should not be idealized, but excepted for who they are – faults and all. This makes them more believable and more relatable, though the truth is more difficult to relate.
Yes I think she practices what she preaches, for the most part. For one thing, her characters are very believable and easy to relate to. I became very involved in the story very quickly and could not put it down. Clearly she is extremely successful in keeping a readers interest and creating believable characters. Her characters are all flawed in some respect. Will, though agreeable and very likeable, has an unrealistic and idealized version of Dorthea. The need for recognition, of remembrance and the realization that he cannot have her from the get go is extremely believable. He does not plot to take her from her husband – that would be impossible and ridiculous. It wasn’t some fairy tale. Dorthea, though beautiful, was really only seen in that way by Will – and Eliot specifically stated that in her town she really wasn’t considered THAT special. Obviously Mr. Casaubon had many flaws that are believable in an intelligent and focused man. However, Dorthea’s continued ignorance and innocence annoyed me, especially as she “spoke better than most women” - one would consider her especially intelligent. Her over the top innocence felt rather contrived and the story would have benefited from more character development on her behalf. Though there was a fair bit – it was difficult to believe she was that dumb, yet still so eloquent.