English Literature books summary

and behavior. Dorothea is drawn to sacrifice and grand, intellectual

things, while Celia has fewer aspirations in the world of academics and

religion. Their uncle, Mr. Brooke, is careful with his money, and rather

Puritan in his disposition, which Dorothea is also.

Two suitors, Sir Chettam and Mr. Casaubon, make visits to the house;

Sir Chettam likes Dorothea, but Dorothea believes he is more inclined

toward her sister. Celia has more sense than her sister, but Dorothea is

very steadfast in her Puritan ways.

Chapter 2:

Sir James and Casaubon are over for supper, with Sir James trying to

appeal to Dorothea, while Dorothea begins to admire Casaubon. Dorothea

hopes that Sir James will try to appeal to her sister Celia, rather than to

herself, and Dorothea continues her perverse fascination with Casaubon.

Chapter 3:

Dorothea continues to admire Casaubon, especially admiring his vast

studies and knowledge. She understands that Casaubon has some regard for

her, and feels honored, despite Casaubon's complete inability to show

emotion. She is blind to the fact that he wants to marry her to fulfill his

needs, and is taking advantage of her naivete in this decision. Casaubon

actually tries to show consideration for her in the things he chooses to

speak to her about, and in the way he regards her. Still, Dorothea's

refusal to see Casaubon as anything other than a beacon of knowledge and

good, and Sir James as an annoyance who is useful for carrying out her

plans, shows how her stubbornness blinds her in judging people's

characters, and in making important decisions as well.

Chapter 4:

Sir James has acted on Dorothea's plan, and made new, more pleasant

cottages for his poor tenants; Dorothea is still determined not to think

highly of him, though Celia is rather fond of Sir James. Dorothea admits to

her sister that she does not like Sir James, although he plainly likes her;

Celia cannot believe that Dorothea could so easily dismiss a man who loves

her. When Dorothea gets back, her uncle tells her that he went to visit

Casaubon, and Casaubon inquired about marrying Dorothea. Mr. Brooke is

against it, because of Casaubon's tendency to mope about and live in books;

but, when Dorothea says that she would accept Casaubon over Sir Chettam,

Mr. Brooke speaks diplomatically, while laying out before her the realities

of marriage. Though Dorothea listens, she does not seem to absorb all the

important things he says. Mr. Brooke has brought back a letter of proposal

to Dorothea, and she is determined to accept.

Chapter 5:

Dorothea reads Casaubon's letter, and is touched by it; she

immediately writes out an acceptance, taking the letter to mean that he

feels the same about her as she does about him. Celia has no idea what has

happened until Casaubon joins them all for dinner, and she, at least, knows

that her sister has made a serious mistake, and perhaps can be swayed from

it. Dorothea, however, is convinced that she has made the right choice;

Casaubon expresses happiness at their engagement, and Dorothea completely

overlooks his lack of passion.

Chapter 6:

Mrs. Cadwallader is finally introduced, a shrewd, somewhat

manipulative, and meddling woman whom Mr. Brooke has little affection for.

Mrs. Casaubon and Mr. Brooke talk politics for a little while, which Mr.

Brooke does not want to do; finally, Celia tells Mrs. Cadwallader that

Dorothea is going to marry Casaubon, which displeases Mrs. Cadwallader, a

great advocate for Sir James, greatly. Sir James finds out, and is greatly

displeased; but Mrs. Cadwallader tells him that Celia admires him greatly,

and won't give him as much trouble. Mrs. Cadwallader is the archetype of

the country woman, with her narrow interests, her meddling ways, and her

great concern in anything involving people she knows. Sir James is able to

conquer his disappointment, and realizes that courting Celia is what he

should begin to do.

Chapter 7:

Casaubon has exhausted his meager reserves of passion already, and

looks forward to married life, which he expects will be more pleasant and

fulfilled. Not once does he stop and consider his duties for Dorothea,

showing himself to be an unsuitable partner who will be hard-pressed to

make her happy. Dorothea is eager to begin learning, out of her own desire

to be able to understand and know things. Mr. Brooke cautions Casaubon that

Dorothea, as a woman, might not be capable of such learning; Dorothea

resents such talk, and tries to ignore it.

Chapter 8:

Sir James, in spite of Dorothea's engagement, begins to like visiting

the Grange, her home, once again; he is stung by her rejection, and cannot

understand her attraction to Casaubon at all. He goes to speak to Mr.

Cadwallader, a great friend, to clear his mind about this issue. Sir James

cannot help his great pride, but at least he is very civil to Dorothea, and

does not let his distaste for her marriage interfere with his plans to make

the cottages she proposed.

Chapter 9:

Dorothea gets her new home, Lowick, ready for her impending residence

there. The house is rather big, but not particularly cheery; in fact, it

rather resembles Casaubon in its looks. Dorothea, however, finds it

agreeable, as she finds Casaubon also; but, chances are, she will soon find

that she is mistaken, as the newness and novelty of this entire situation

wears off. Celia herself dislikes anything that Dorothea accepts, and as

such, dislikes Lowick and Casaubon equally.

Casaubon introduces the party to Will Ladislaw, his cousin; he

dislikes Dorothea immediately, because of the way she speaks poorly of

herself before others, and because she is marrying his sour, humorless

cousin. Will is young, rather handsome, and an artist as well; he seems

much better suited to Dorothea, though a better match than Casaubon is

certainly not hard to find. Ladislaw is without occupation, so Casaubon is,

reluctantly, providing for him; but Casaubon and his cousin seem not to get

along at all.

Chapter 10:

Ladislaw leaves suddenly for Europe; he has a view of life and work

completely opposed to Casaubon's, and is much more impulsive and full of

passion than his dull cousin. Casaubon, to his credit, does try to be more

joyful about his marriage, and to understand his young bride better; but,

he is fundamentally unsuited to this relationship, and cannot make himself

more amenable to it. They decide to go to Rome on their honeymoon, a

decision partially motivated by Casaubon's single-minded pursuit of

information, to the detriment of his fragile relationship with Dorothea.

Casaubon and Dorothea attend a local dinner party, where many of the

prominent citizens of the town are discussing their displeasure at Casaubon

and Dorothea's marriage, and the arrival of the new doctor, Lydgate. Many

of the townspeople prove completely pedestrian in their opinions, liking

decorative, weak-willed women, and disapproving of any experimentation,

especially relating to medicine. These are people who like routine and

tradition, and will be hard-pressed to accept any progress or any outsiders

in their community.

Chapter 11:

Lydgate, the new doctor, is already enamoured of Rosamond Vincy, the

mayor's daughter. She is attractive and affable, but he is not economically

set for marriage yet. Lydgate believes that women should be quiet,

obedient, and beautiful; he is not looking for a partner, but rather an

adornment, for a wife. Rosamond seems determined to escape from the tangled

web of Middlemarch marriages, in which case Lydgate seems suited to her.

Rosamond's brother, Fred Vincy, is an aimless young man who failed to get

his degree at college, and seems to do very little besides hang about the

house and bother his sister.

Chapter 12:

Fred and Rosamond travel to Stone Court, the house of their wealthy

uncle, Mr. Featherstone. Mrs. Waule, Mr. Featherstone's sister, is there;

and though she is also well off, she tries to get even more money from her

brother. Mary Garth is Mr. Featherstone's servant, and Fred admires her

very much. Mrs. Waule's visit is to lobby for more money in Mr.

Featherstone's will, and she tries to discredit Fred, of whom Mr.

Featherstone is very fond, by alluding to rumors about Fred's gambling

debts. Mr. Featherstone bothers Fred on this subject, and Fred insists he

has done nothing of the sort; Mr. Featherstone continues to shame and

embarrass Fred, and finally insist that he get proof in writing from

Bulstrode, who started this rumor, that it is indeed false.

Mary Garth is plain and amiable, and very honest and kind. Rosamond

continues to be supremely interested in Lydgate, whom Mary has met and does

not think terribly highly of. Lydgate and Rosamond finally meet, and it

seems like their romance has already been destined to occur.

Chapter 13:

Mr. Vincy goes to see Mr. Bulstrode at the bank on his son Fred's

behalf; Lydgate is already there with Bulstrode, talking about the

construction of a new hospital in town. Bulstrode likes Lydgate, and

expects that he will make reforms and improve medical care in the town, but

both are aware of the professional jealousy that will arise from Lydgate's

new position, if he is indeed elected as head of the hospital. Bulstrode,

for some reason, wants a man named Mr. Tyke to be chaplain of the new

hospital, in place of another man named Mr. Farebrother.

Mr. Vincy enters, and broaches the subject of Fred and his need for

Bulstrode's reassurances; Mr. Bulstrode does not want to be involved.

Bulstrode criticizes Fred's upbringing and personal qualities, making the

matter more personal than it needs to be. This matter is complicated by the

fact that Bulstrode and Vincy are brothers-in-law, and Vincy believes it is

Bulstrode's family obligation to comply, though Bulstrode does not.

Chapter 14:

Bulstrode writes out a letter to the effect that Fred has not borrowed

money on his inheritance from Featherstone, because his wife Harriet,

Fred's aunt, wishes him to do so. In fact, Fred is in debt, and is given

some money by Featherstone on the spot, though it is not enough to unburden

him. Fred is grateful, but not as grateful as he could be; Featherstone

takes pleasure in the fact that the young man depends on him for funds, and

uses this to threaten Fred as well. Fred tries to talk to Mary Garth, whom

he has feelings for, about his living and his feelings for her as well.

Mary is realistic about his prospects, and knows that he cannot marry until

he finds a living and a stable income.

Chapter 15:

Eliot begins the chapter with a bit of narration about the scope of

the book, and then begins to delve into Lydgate's background. Lydgate was

very intelligent as a young man, and fell in love with anatomy at a young

age. He is a hard worker, driven to succeed in his field and make

innovations, and to help people get better rather than make money, which

seems to be the focus of many doctors of the time.

Chapter 16:

Mr. Bulstrode's power becomes plain; as a banker, he has some control

over those he lends money to, and he defends people in return for certain

expected favors. There is a debate going on whether Bulstrode's choice of

Mr. Tyke for the chaplain's position at the hospital is indeed correct;

Lydgate, Mr. Vincy, Mr. Chichely, and Dr. Sprague debate this question,

with Mr. Vincy firmly supporting Farebrother. Lydgate is soon able to sneak

away and talk with Rosamond, whom he finds very refined and beautiful. He

meets Farebrother, whom he also finds agreeable. Lydgate is in no hurry to

marry, since he has no money yet; but he will certainly keep Rosamond in

mind in the meantime. Rosamond, however, is sure that Lydgate is in love

with her; and, with little else to think about, she sets her mind on

marrying Lydgate.

Chapter 17:

Lydgate goes to see Farebrother at home, and observes his domestic

situation. Farebrother's mother engages Lydgate in a debate about changes

in religion, which Farebrother and Lydgate seem to espouse. Farebrother is

a man of science, like Lydgate; they get along well, which makes Lydgate

question Bulstrode's championing of Mr. Tyke even more. However,

Farebrother is knowledgeable about Middlemarch politics, and knows that

Lydgate must vote with Bulstrode if he wants to get ahead; Lydgate listens

to this advice, but wants to vote with his conscience instead.

Chapter 18:

Lydgate is compelled to vote for Farebrother, at the expense of any

help from Bulstrode; he debates this with himself, and the outcomes of

either decision. Lydgate wants to secure Farebrother the much needed money,

but also wants to keep in Bulstrode's good graces, and knows that Tyke

might be better suited to the position. The voting meeting begins, with

Lydgate still waffling; people have their various reasons for voting for

Farebrother or for Lydgate, and they all vary widely. Lydgate finally

decides upon Mr. Tyke.

Chapter 19:

Dorothea is at last in Rome on her honeymoon, and Will Ladislaw is

there too, spotting her but not daring to approach. Will's friend, Naumann,

is there too, is taken with her beauty and wants to paint her picture; Will

is still under the influence of his negative first impression of her, and

does not want to see her at the risk of finding her as unpleasant as he

suspects.

Chapter 20:

Dorothea is in shock by the combination of lately having become a

wife, being in a place so foreign to her as Rome, and being completely

alone, with the absence of her husband due to his study. Dorothea appeals

to her husband to let her help, so that he may get his work finished and

published; in her desperation for some emotional response, she sobs, which

immediately makes Casaubon even more remote. Casaubon wants her support and

affection, which she is giving him, but not in the way he wishes. They have

a fundamental communication block, which upsets both of them, especially

since it is their honeymoon. Casaubon continues his studies, and nothing is

resolved.

Chapter 21:

Just as Dorothea is beginning to despair again, Will Ladislaw comes to

visit her. Will is surprised to find that she is nice, friendly, and far

better than his dried-up old cousin could ever deserve; Will's bad first

impression is proven completely wrong. They discuss art, which Dorothea

can't understand; Will admits that he has not found his calling in art, and

Dorothea is bewildered by his ability to be at leisure all the time. Will

also realizes that Dorothea holds Casaubon in unnaturally high regard; he

resents this, and wants to get her to realize how she is mistaken. Casaubon

returns home, and is not pleased by his cousin's presence. Nevertheless, he

invites Will back, and Dorothea senses that she has found a valuable

friend.

Chapter 22:

Will impresses Dorothea with the way he is able to listen to Casaubon

and make him feel at ease; Will is also able to engage Dorothea in the

conversation, and draw some statements out of her that make Casaubon proud

of his well-spoken wife. Will gets Casaubon to agree to bring Dorothea to

the studio; once there, Naumann gets Casaubon to sit as a model for Thomas

Aquinas, which allows Naumann to also paint Dorothea without Casaubon

feeling slighted. Will goes to visit Dorothea later, when Casaubon is not

at home; they speak, and Will tells her plainly that she will not be happy

with Casaubon, and that her piety is completely unnatural.

Chapter 23:

Fred still has a debt to pay, and the money he got from Featherstone

will not cover the balance; even worse, his dear Mary's brother, Caleb, co-

signed on Fred's debt and will be held responsible if he defaults. Fred

decides to make money to pay his debt by speculating on horses;

unfortunately, he buys a horse that lames itself in a stable accident, and

has even less money with which to pay his debt. Fred is a fool to risk all

that he has on such an uncertain plan; but the boy is slow to learn, and

cannot help himself.

Chapter 24:

Fred finally feels very sorry about his debt, and the fact that he has

only fifty pounds and five days to pay up. Fred is most sorry because

Mary's father is going to have to pay, and he feels this will jeopardize

his chances with Mary. Fred goes to the Garth household to tell Caleb

Garth, whose wife is very fond of Fred, but probably will not be after he

tells her. Mrs. Garth is teaching her children their lessons in the

kitchen, and Fred sits down and tells her and Mr. Garth the news. Mrs.

Garth will have to give up the money she was saving to send her son to

school; Fred feels terrible, as he should, knowing that his

irresponsibility is costing them so much. Mr. Garth knows then that he was

a fool to trust Fred, and they believe that there is little chance Mary

will regard him so highly when she finds out.

Chapter 25:

Fred goes to Stone Court to tell Mary the news; he is not as repentant

as he should be, and wants comforting words from Mary about his

irresponsibility. He still doesn't see the entire magnitude of what he did;

he tries to rationalize things with his good intentions, and by claiming

that he is not so bad, compared to what other people do. Mary is upset, and

says that she cannot trust him, and that he should be more sorry for what

he did. Caleb comes later, to ask for whatever she has saved up; Mary gives

it gladly. Caleb Garth is worried that his daughter has some feelings for

Chapter 26:

Fred is foolish enough to go back in search of his old horse, and ends

up with an even worse one. He soon becomes ill, and after their regular

doctor tries to help and fails, Lydgate is brought in and says he has

scarlet fever. Mr. and Mrs. Vincy get angry at their regular doctor, Mr.

Wrench, for failing to catch such a serious illness; Mr. Wrench is in turn

angry at Lydgate for interfering, and very uncivil to the new doctor.

Rumors spread about the confrontation between Mr. Wrench and the Vincys,

and between Mr. Wrench and Lydgate. Various opinions and stories surface

about the alleged scuffles, leaving everyone worse off as subjects of

untrue gossip.

Chapter 27:

Mrs. Vincy becomes completely consumed by Fred and his illness, to an

unhealthy extent; Lydgate is around the house frequently, and sees a good

bit of Rosamond as well. Lydgate's attentions to Rosamond are causing some

resentment in the neighborhood, as rivals for her affection become jealous

of him; Rosamond continues to believe that Lydgate is in love with her and

intends marriage, while Lydgate merely enjoys her pleasant company. At the

end of the chapter, Lydgate receives a summons from Sir James Chettam, who

he has not attended to before.

Chapter 28:

Dorothea arrives at Lowick with her husband in January, after their

honeymoon. Dorothea, who had been so dejected during their honeymoon, feels

revived by being home, in familiar surroundings. However, she is still

haunted by the knowledge that her vision of marriage is yet unfulfilled,

and the depressing atmosphere of Lowick. Her sister Celia finally arrives,

brightening up the place with her presence; Celia tells Dorothea of her

engagement to Sir James, and Dorothea is very happy for her sister.

Chapter 29:

Mr. Casaubon's beliefs about marriage are reiterated; he wanted to

marry someone young and impressionable, so that she would be pleasant and

able to help him with his work and be taught by him. He also believed that

marriage would make him happy for the first time; but marriage could never

instantly change his disposition, and his hopes for his union were too

high, as were Dorothea's. Casaubon and Dorothea have a bit of a tiff, as

Casaubon tells her that he does not want Ladislaw to visit, and Dorothea

resents the condescending and mean-natured tone he takes with her. Casaubon

is weakened, and Dorothea strengthened by this altercation; it seems like

this relationship is going to make her stronger, though it will definitely

not work out.

Chapter 30:

Lydgate comes to check on Casaubon, and cannot find anything

immediately wrong; he asks that Casaubon give up his studies for the time

being, and focus on leisurely pursuits. Dorothea is informed as to the

details of whatever ails Casaubon; Lydgate says that he must be kept from

any stresses, or else his condition might be aggravated, and his life cut

short. Dorothea is sad, but not sure exactly what to think; Ladislaw is

supposed to be arriving there in a few days, and she asks Mr. Brooke to

write Ladislaw a letter saying that Casaubon is ill, and not to visit. Mr.

Brooke does write a letter, but the contents are nothing like Dorothea

intends; Mr. Brooke invites Ladislaw, and also proposes that he might work

for Mr. Brooke's newspaper, since Mr. Brooke has been favorably impressed

with what he has heard.

Chapter 31:

Lydgate and Rosamond become closer, as Lydgate is about to be sucked

into a relationship which he is unprepared for because of the nature of

Middlemarch society. Mrs. Bulstrode and Mrs. Plymdale gossip about

Rosamond's pride, and how Lydgate might suit her; Mrs. Plymdale thinks that

the match would be unwise for Lydgate, since Rosamond has expensive habits,

and Mrs. Bulstrode goes to speak to Rosamond out of concern. When Mrs.

Bulstrode sees Rosamond and her fine garments, she knows that Mrs. Plymdale

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