March 2021: George Eliot

In March, we'll read and discuss the works of George Eliot. She has several titles on the list of 1,001 Books to Read Before You die:

Adam Bede
The Mill on the Floss
Silas Marner
Middlemarch
Daniel Deronda

What is everyone thinking about reading in March?

As I mentioned in the nominations, I read The Mill on the Floss in college and didn't really love it, but I'd like to try more by George Eliot. I've heard good things about Middlemarch, but I also think it's rather lengthy so I'm not sure which title I'm going to go with yet.

Apparently we've discussed George Eliot before, once in 2010 and once in 2017.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/101721

http://www.librarything.com/topic/248005

It doesn't seem like we had much to say in that second round though. Hopefully that's not true this time around!

A short book by George Eliot which I have suggested to my book club is Silas Marner. Subtitled'The Weaver of Raveloe' it is the affecting story of a lonely man, estranged from his community until the day he meets Eppie. Any more would constitute a spoiler. apologies but touchstones will not pick up the title for some reason.

>4 Maura49: There seems to be a particular lag with touchstones today. Thanks for the suggestion of Silas Marner! :)

I reread Middlemarch every few years and it’s that time again this year. I’ve listened to it only once before and may do so again. One of the things I love so about Eliot is her writing style and with an audiobook you can appreciate every just right image, every subtle nuance, every delicious piece of irony. Difficult to follow, though, if you’re also doing something else- for me, at any rate.
Or I may decide to reread either Mill on the Floss or Adam Bede for the March read. I’ve not read either in quite a long time. Both Mill on the Floss and Adam Bede focus on rural, small village characters who speak in a sort of regional dialect that I find a bit difficult to follow, at least at first. I think Middlemarch, though longer, is actually a bit easier to read. I’m looking forward to our March discussion.

>6 dianelouise100: I would highly recommend Juliet Stevenson reading Middlemarch. She gets every nuance just right. And her voice for Casaubon is perfect! But I know what you mean about following when you're doing something else. I tend to listen in the car on an extended drive. It's a way to get me (safely) out of the house for an hour or two during these times, and I can (mostly) focus on the narration.

>7 kac522: Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look for that version. I don’t remember who narrated the version I listened to before, so it’s nice to have a recommendation.

Just finding this now! I read Mill on the Floss when I was a child and think that was it. Remember I did love it. Am going to read Middlemarch in March as suggested here. For years my father has talked about it and is reading it again. So thanks for the push! :)

I was assigned both The Mill On the Floss and Silas Marner when I was in high school. I relied on the cliff's notes for both of them.

I read Silas Marner a few years ago, however. Here's my review:

Silas Marner by George Eliot
Digital audiobook read by Nadia May
3***

Silas Marner is a weaver who was banished from his small religious community on a false charge of theft. He moves to the village of Ravensloe, where he leads a reclusive, miserly life as the town’s weaver. His gold is stolen from him, however, reinforcing his belief that everything is against him. Until … returning home on a snowy evening he finds a baby girl asleep at his hearth. Her mother has died in the snow, and Silas adopts the child, believing that his gold has somehow been symbolically returned in the form of this delightful little girl.

A classic tale of the redemptive power of love, first published in 1861. As is typical of the novels of the era, the plot includes numerous coincidences that stretch this reader’s tolerance. There is much misery, but Eliot does give us a few moments of joy, and an ending full of hope. I did think Eliot was somewhat heavy-handed in relaying her message, however.

I know this was assigned reading when I was in high school, and I’m sure I relied on the Cliff’s Notes. Reading now, I’m reminded of the writing style of Charles Dickens.

Eliot was born Mary Ann Evans and converted to Evangelicalism while still in school. She later disavowed it, but those roots are clear in this tale. In private, however, she became estranged from her family when she moved to London as a single woman. There she met George Henry Lewes, and lived with him for some twenty years, despite the fact that he was already married. He encouraged her to write and publish. She was somewhat notorious for this open relationship and felt no one would read her novels, so adopted the pseudonym of George Eliot.

Nadia May does a fine job performing the audiobook. However, I did have trouble staying focused. That isn’t her fault, it’s simply the prevalent style of writing of the mid-19th century.

I have read Silas Marner, also not on the 1001 list Romola and Felix Holt, the radical. The first two were good, the latter less so, though the background context was interesting. I probably should try them all again.

My first post—I have read, taught and written about Middlemarch a few times. I recommend it (all 701 pages) if one approaches it as a domestic epic. It is among the great books—many think the best written in English. Daniel Deronda, which is not widely read, is a book that might intersect with the current discussions of racial and ethnic equality.

I see a progression from Austen to Eliot to James in the movement from Romance to Victorian to Modern. It is the movement from telling to showing, and MM is a classic in all categories of literature.

This group (whose existence I've only just discovered) will inspire me to tackle a new Eliot next month :)

I am going for her first published fiction book - the collection Scenes of Clerical Life.

I have only read Silas Marner by George Eliot. It's been so long ago though that I have no memory of the book. I might re-read that since it will be like reading a new book. I am interested in reading Daniel Deronda and Middlemarch but I'm not sure I will have time to get to such lengthy works in March.

I will probably attempt Middlemarch though I know it is very long.

Daniel Deronda is a truly remarkable novel. I hope some of you read it so we can discuss! I liked it so much more than Middlemarch (which I liked, but DD I truly loved).

I am thinking of reading Adam Bede. Can anyone recommend a particular edition?

I finished rereading Mill on the Floss a few days ago and have now begun listening to Juliet Stevenson’s impressive narration of Middlemarch.

I found reading “Mill” a great pleasure. Maggie Tulliver, its central character, first appears as a sensitive child, full of love, imagination and impulsiveness, but a child who is unappreciated by most in her family and constantly in trouble with those she loves best, especially her brother Tom. Only her father seems to love her unconditionally. The novel follows Maggie’s growth through many hardships into a beautiful young woman, whose capacity for love continues to be restricted by her ties with the past. As the plot moves along, it becomes increasingly clear that the capacity of Maggie’s spirit, her mind, and her heart is too great to be allowed full expression in the narrow-minded, constricted society she is born into.

I love George Eliot’s voice, and I particularly enjoyed in this novel the shades of irony with which she portrays Society in general, that is, the “World’s Wife,” and other specific interfering characters. Her light touch turns into comedy the numerous scenes featuring Maggie’s Aunts Glegg, Pullet, and Deane, along with their respective husbands, each one with opinionated and self satisfied advice for Mr. Tulliver and his family. There is nothing comic, however, in her comments about the World’s Wife, which are heavy handed in their satire, though as always Eliot’s wit is inescapable. Tom’s schoolmaster, Mr. Stelling, receives similar satiric treatment, and harsh irony is used in portraying the judgmental and vindictive nature that prevents Tom from being a sympathetic character. I find George Eliot’s writing style always a treat and her stories and characters developed in such a credible way that I am completely absorbed.

Several of Eliot’s novels feature great souled women severely limited by the various small worlds into which they are born. As I now begin to listen to Middlemarch, I am looking forward to Dorothea’s story as she struggles to fullfill her aspirations in the provincial town of Middlemarch and its surrounding countryside. And I’m glad to be reading it so soon after finishing Mill on the Floss.

In looking back over the posts, I see that we will have a number of fine novels to discuss. I look foward to good conversations.

>17 sparemethecensor: i don’t know a particular print edition to recommend, but I think you might enjoy accompanying the print copy with an audiobook. My library lends The version narrated by Jill Tanner and I think she does a good job with the dialect, which it might be useful to hear. I have not read Adam Bede in a very long time and am looking forward to reading some commentary/discussion of it.

>17 sparemethecensor: When I am not going for a fine edition for the classics, I usually stick to Oxford Classics or Penguin Classics (if Oxford does not have it or if it is a few decades newer). If you are relying on the library, I would get whichever of them is the revised 2008 edition (funny how they got revised at the same time). If both are, I usually prefer Oxford... but that is subjective :)

PS: If you prefer hardcovers, the Everyman's editions are usually solid as well...

>19 dianelouise100: >20 AnnieMod:
Thank you both so much! I emailed a librarian this question and she is seeing what our county system has, so I'll add these comments and see what she can dig up.

I have started reading George Eliot's Life edited and with commentary by her husband J. W. Cross, which contains excerpts from her letters and journals. It is a 3 volume set from the 1880's that I found at a library sale for $6 ($2 per book!):

I'm reading 10 or 15 pages a day, and hope to complete Volume 1 this month. I may also re-read Adam Bede or The Mill on the Floss.
For those who haven't read George Eliot before, I think Silas Marner is a good place to start. It is shorter and very accessible as a story.

>12 Sherryll: Welcome! Will you be reading any Eliot this month?

#22 - that's a pretty impressive find :)

>24 john257hopper: Yes, I was quite lucky. A used/antiquarian bookstore closed and the owner donated many of his unsold books to the local library. He had priced the set at $50 in his shop, based on the markings in the first volume. The library didn't have the time or expertise to research current market values of his books, and just wanted them sold.

I'm about a quarter of the way through Middlemarch. Overall, I can't honestly say I'm really enjoying it. There are some good scenes and some crisp and humorous dialogue, but in general it is rather dragging for me. I intend to persist though.

I have Silas Marner checked out from the library for my re-read but I haven't started yet. I am enjoying reading one book at a time again and I have another book going at the moment.

>26 john257hopper: - I have to confess I have now decided to stop reading Middlemarch after all. I have read some reviews here that say that the audiobook has helped them to access it, so I may try that approach some time.

I am at the three quarter mark in Middlemarch and am enjoying renewed acquaintance with Dorothea, Lydgate, Mr. Brooke, the Garths and the Vincys. I find the book’s slow pace relaxing and the wise voice and reliability of its third person narrator a pleasure. Contemporary writers of fiction don’t seem to favor 3rd person omniscient as a narrative point of view any more and I sometimes get exasperated with the many examples of unreliable narrators in fiction whose lack of trustworthiness is a critical element to the plot. A couple hundred more pages and I’m thinking of then turning to Rosemary Ashton’s biography of Eliot.

I’m wondering what novels others are into and how they find them?

>29 dianelouise100: "I’m wondering what novels others are into and how they find them?"

Ahem... She wrote stories as well :)

>30 AnnieMod: OOPS, my bad! Don’t know anything at all about Scenes of Clerical Life, but hope to read it someday.

I started reading George Eliot by Jenny Uglow, published by Virago press. It is relatively short for a biography (330 pages) and Uglow weaves Eliot's life and excerpts from her letters with analysis of her works. Very readable and accessible, for those interested in Eliot's life and work.

I finished Middlemarch awhile back and have now just started Rosemary Ashton’s biography, which I obviously won’t finish this month. It looks like a promising read.

I've finally finished Adam Bede. It was a really slow read for me. I would say overall I liked it but it's kind of a slog. There are some stunningly beautiful turns of phrase in describing rural life. I also found it interesting to see that contemporaneous view of the protestant work ethic invading everyday life. At the same time, I found some of the plot points (for instance, Dinah's sudden marriage) kind of dumb and out of character. Dunno, maybe it just wasn't for me at this time of my life.

As a note, I think that Daniel Deronda is a masterwork so it's not Eliot generally. I love DD -- it has so much depth and complexity, plus it's just a great story. I didn't see the same in Adam Bede.

>35 sparemethecensor: I also just finished Adam Bede. Although it dragged a bit in the middle, after the half-way point the book took off for me, and I flew through the last half.

At the end, it dawned on me that there were no "evil" characters in this novel; so unlike many Victorians (Dickens, for example). Nearly everyone has flaws and some make terrible decisions, but I feel like Eliot shows us great empathy for each one.

>36 kac522: That's a good point. Her novels have more nuanced and complex characters than Dickens, who rounds out some but caricatures others. Interestingly even the character she is using to criticize the noble class has depth to him.

I have made it to chapter 6 in Silas Marner. I couldn’t get into the book when I attempted it back in March. But now I am hooked into the story.

I did end up finishing my reread of Silas Marner awhile back and didn’t post. I am glad I reread this because it was like reading it for the first time almost. I only remembered one plot point that didn’t spoil my reread. I really felt for Silas and Eppie. I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more Eliot sometime in the future. Eliot has some lovely phrasing in Silas Marner. Eliot herself also seems like an interesting person that I want to know more about based on the biographical snippet that was included in the library copy of Silas Marner that I read.

I have just found this note you sent—but would be happy to talk about Middlemarch. Someone was asking about which is the best copy: Norton’s Middlemarch contains some essays as I recall by prominent scholars for anyone interested in literary criticism.

MM is a “domestic epic,” and as an epic it is long, with digressions, epigraphs, and philosophy. The themes include feminism, women’s lives and the limitations imposed, and much more. It is a difficult book, but worth the slog. I consider the Finale one of the most elegant and moving conclusions I’ve read.

>23 kac522: I could not figure out how to become part of LT, and only now have I returned, much surprised by the complexity of the organization of topics, discussions, groups, etc. Not sure if I’ll be able to catch up with what’s going on.

I am a retired Literature Professor—ancient Western Lit through to post Henry James with a Victorian specialty. Retired from University of Hawai’i. I need reading advice!!

>26 john257hopper: I know how late this is. Middlemarch is a philosophical epic as much as it is a Victorian novel. It is more satisfying in the reflection of it than in the actual reading, for the first time. Eliot had an intellectual/philosophical interest. She is neither like Dickens nor Hardy. Having taught the book and written about the novel, I suggest trying to finish it with the hope that at the end you will find you have been “educated” about a number of human foibles. The themes of Puritanism, marriage, women’s place in that society, go on and on. Notice the difference between Dorothea and Cecilia. The marriage choice of Casaubon. I think Eliot tried for, and managed, to look at so many things. It is worth reading if only for the last few chapters. I hope this helped a little.

>43 Sherryll: thanks for your reply. I will try it again some day, I hope. Too many books, too few years left (relatively speaking, at 55!)