English Literature books summary

was at least right about that one point. Mrs. Bulstrode speaks to her,

telling her that if she marries Lydgate, she will not be able to keep her

expensive habits; Rosamond admits that he has made no offer of marriage to

her, and seems intent on ignoring her aunt's good advice. Then, Mrs.

Bulstrode approaches Lydgate, and tells him that he should not press his

advantages as a romantic-seeming outsider with the Middlemarch girls;

Lydgate sees that others believe him to be engaged to Rosamond, and wants

to avoid marriage at all costs.

However, Lydgate ends up going by the house after an absence of two

weeks, to deliver bad news about Mr. Featherstone's health; Rosamond cries

when she sees him again, and this display of affection touches him enough

to abandon his plans and reasonable thinking, and propose to her. Rosamond

accepts, and they are engaged.

Chapter 32:

Mr. Featherstone's relatives begin to pop out and appear, and all

expect that he will die soon, and will leave them some bit of money, since

he is their rich relation. They all expect that he should do something for

them, that he owes them money because they are relatives; they do not

consider that they have done nothing for him, but are like vultures

circling, waiting to pick up his money once he dies.

Mr. Featherstone wants to see none of the greedy, crowding relatives;

Mary Garth has to try and turn them away, but doesn't have the heart for

the task. Mrs. Vincy hovers around, sure that Fred will receive most of the

property and money anyway, as Featherstone regards and treats them so much

better than his other relatives. Trumbull, an auctioneer and assistant to

Featherstone in business matters, is the other person who Featherstone

shows any regard for; on the basis of behavior alone, it would seem that

these people would receive most from Featherstone's will. Mary Garth must

put up with the various visitors and their varying degrees of rudeness, but

manages to stay calm and make the constant crush of daytime visitors as

comfortable as she can.

Chapter 33:

Mary Garth is sitting with Mr. Featherstone at night, as she usually

does, reflecting on the events of the day, and sitting in silence, for the

most part. She figures that the issue of Featherstone's will shall

disappoint everyone involved. Mr. Featherstone suddenly tells her to open

the chest with his will in it, and burn one of them; Mary refuses, even

when she is offered a sizeable amount of money to do so. Mary is scared of

his sudden energy, and does not think that he is in his right mind; Mr.

Featherstone drifts off to sleep, and by the morning he is dead.

Chapter 34:

Mr. Featherstone is finally buried, with many relatives whom he did

not like there; the occasion is a rather expensive one, for although

Featherstone was miserly in many respects, he liked to show off his money

when it could impress many people. Dorothea and Celia, along with Sir

James, watch the proceedings from their house, as he is being buried at the

church that is on Casaubon's land. Will Ladislaw appears again, and Mr.

Brooke reveals that Will is his guest, and has brought the picture that

Casaubon sat for in Rome. Casaubon is shocked and upset, and Mr. Brooke

explains that he wrote to Ladislaw when Casaubon was ill, not Dorothea; Mr.

Brooke continues to speak of his fondness for Will, as Casaubon tries to

hide his displeasure, and Dorothea becomes alarmed.

Chapter 35:

The funeral is over, and people are waiting anxiously for the will to

be read and the sums they are to receive to be announced. There is a

stranger among them, though, who makes them nervous; his name is Rig, he is

in his early 30's, and no one is quite sure of who he is or where he comes

from. A lawyer is there, named Standout, who went through the will with two

witnesses; he reads through the two wills that Featherstone left, regarding

the last one as the most correct. Mary Garth is nervous, and somewhat

excited, since her refusal to burn one of the documents has led to this

outcome. The first leaves Fred a good bit of money, and gives something to

most of the relatives; the second, which is considered the correct one,

gives everything to Mr. Rig, who doesn't seem surprised.

Upon hearing this, many of the relatives start complaining about the

expense of traveling to the funeral, and how they should not have come if

they were to get nothing. Mrs. Vincy cries, and Fred seems upset as well,

to have a large bequest announced, and then taken back. No one seems very

fond of Mr. Rig, who takes the name Featherstone as requested in the will.

But, it seems that all the greedy relatives, and the expectant Vincys, have

all rotten their just desserts; the Garths could have been better served,

but overall, people do get exactly what they deserve.

Chapter 36:

Fred is sorely disappointed with not getting any money; he expected

that he would get a large amount, and would not have to work. Now, he will

likely have to join the clergy, or find some form of work; he will finally

have to stop being idle, as his father will tolerate his idleness no

longer. Mr. Vincy also says that Rosamond will have to postpone her

marriage, until the family are in a better position to pay for it; Mrs.

Vincy, Fred, and Rosamond are all spendthrifts, expecting that the money

they need will somehow drop into their laps. Rosamond takes the issue up

with her father, and he caves in; Mr. Vincy doesn't have the heart to stand

up to his daughter, though she clearly needs some reasonable advice on the

subject of her marriage.

It seems that only Mrs. Bulstrode knows better on the subject of

Rosamond and Lydgate's engagement; she knows how difficult it will be for

Rosamond to live on little money, and how extravagant she is, and how ill

prepared Lydgate is to live with a flighty girl like her. However, no one

will listen to her; her advice, though it will prove correct, is unheeded.

Rosamond tells Lydgate that her father wishes their marriage to be

postponed; Rosamond says that she refused, not so much out of love for

Lydgate, but out of stubbornness. Lydgate urges her that they be married

soon; Rosamond agrees to six weeks, and manages to convince her father.

Lydgate soon starts buying new things for the house, though he has little

money to do so; already, he is spending beyond his means, a dangerous

habit. They will go to his uncle's estate for their honeymoon; he is a

baronet, and wealthy, which boosts Lydgate's hopes for a better position.

Chapter 37:

Middlemarch politics assert themselves once again, in the rivalry of

the two papers of the region. It is revealed that Mr. Brooke has bought one

of the papers, The Pioneer, and has inserted his unorthodox political views

into it. Will Ladislaw has been hired to head the paper, and Mr. Brooke is

very pleased with his work, and his coverage of the Middlemarch political

situation. Casaubon continues to resent Will, and Will grows more angry

that Casaubon married someone as young and naive as Dorothea, dragging her

down into Casaubon's dull, dry world of academia. Will's affection for

Dorothea continues to grow, and Dorothea becomes more and more fond of Will

in return.

Will goes to Lowick to sketch; luckily for him, it begins to rain, and

when he takes refuge in the house, he finds only Dorothea at home. They

begin to speak as they did in Rome, very happy to be alone in each other's

company; Dorothea becomes more aware of her husband's failings, but also

learns of his generosity toward Will's family. Will tells Dorothea that he

has a job at Mr. Brooke's paper, if he wants it; Dorothea says she would

like him to stay in the neighbourhood very much, but then realises that

Casaubon would disagree with her.

Dorothea tells Casaubon, who of course is not in the least supportive.

Casaubon writes Will a letter, telling him he should not take the position,

nor should he call at the house any longer. Casaubon's letter seems to be

motivated not out of embarrassment for having a relative of lower status

nearby, but out of some jealousy perhaps for his friendship with Dorothea.

Dorothea becomes consumed by the case of Will's grandmother, and her unfair

disinheritance when she married; she believes that Will is owed a good part

of what Casaubon has because his family was impoverished unfairly, and

wants to bring that up to Casaubon, though it will upset him.

Casaubon is not suspicious that Dorothea is being influenced by Will,

but he thinks that it might happen; his insecurity and jealousy lead him to

contrive secret hindrances for Will. He dislikes his cousin more than ever,

because he imagines that Dorothea would like Will more than she likes him.

Chapter 38:

Mr. Brooke is making enemies through his advocacy for the Whig party,

when Middlemarch is a predominantly conservative, Tory area. Bulstrode is

allied with Brooke politically, but many of the neighbors disapprove,

including Sir James. Sir James, Mrs. Cadwallader, and others are gossiping

about Brooke and Will Ladislaw, Brooke's need to take care of his parish,

and other subjects. Brooke comes by, in the middle of being discussed; they

inquire about the state of his tenants, attacks that have been made on him,

etc.

Brooke, however, does not wish to enter into any arguments, or listen

to see if they do have any valid points to make amid the rumors they are

discussing. Brooke runs out quickly, and the others wish that maybe he

could see if he was doing something wrong, and act on that.

Chapter 39:

Sir James becomes more judicious in his appraisal of Brooke's

situation, and decides that Brooke needs to invest in improvements for his

tenants if he wants to evade the scathing criticisms of the other

Middlemarch paper, The Trumpet. Dorothea is the key to convincing him,

figures Sir James, since she is a great advocate for improvements. Dorothea

goes to visit her uncle, and Will Ladislaw turns out to be there; she tells

her uncle that Sir James told her that Tipton was to be managed by Caleb

Garth, and improvements made. Dorothea is very passionate that this should

be done; however, her uncle will not commit. She and Will find a moment

alone, to explain a bit more of themselves; Will seems to be falling in

love with her, as their relationship becomes stronger.

Mr. Brooke goes to visit a tenant whose son has been poaching on Brooke's

land, and is chastised by the tenant. Brooke, who liked to fancy himself a

favorite of his tenants, is shocked; also, the house looks worse now that

Dorothea has made her criticisms. It looks like Mr. Brooke will give in,

and turn the management of the estate over to Mr. Garth after all.

Chapter 40:

Focus moves to the Garths, who are gathered at the table, reading

letters. Mary is looking for another position, and has decided to take a

place at a school in York, though it does not please her, or her parents,

too well. However, Mr. Garth reads a letter from Sir James that asks him

whether Mr. Garth would start managing Freshitt, and mentions that Mr.

Brooke might want his services again as well. This would double the Garths'

income, and means that Mary can stay at home; but Mr. Garth will need an

assistant, and none of his sons are in the position to do so. The whole

family is happy, Caleb Garth most of all because he will be able to do good

work to help even more people.

Mr. Farebrother comes to visit; he has some interest in Mary Garth,

and also likes to visit and spend time with the family. He has been talking

to Fred Vincy, and informs them of Fred's situation, telling them Fred is

going back to study, and still cannot pay off his debt to them.

Chapter 41:

It is not long since Mr. Rigg Featherstone has gained the estate of

Stone Court, and already there is word that he wishes to sell the place to

Mr. Bulstrode. It is revealed that Mr. Rigg is Featherstone's illegitimate

child, who was brought up far away from Middlemarch, with very little

money. Someone named John Raffles is there, his mother's new husband; he

wants money to start a tobacco shop from Mr. Rigg's new-found fortune. Rigg

refuses, because Raffles, he alleges, was very cruel to him as a child,

took money from his mother, and left them poor and miserable. He says that

he will continue to send his mother an allowance, but will give Mr. Raffles

nothing. Rigg gives him money to get back home, and some liquor, but not

before Mr. Raffles makes use of an important paper, signed by Mr.

Bulstrode, to keep his flask from falling apart.

Chapter 42:

Lydgate is at least back from his honeymoon with Rosamond, and is

immediately called to Casaubon, whose health seems to be getting worse. He

is also haunted by the idea that he has never been given credit for his

studies, and that the Key to All Mythologies will never be finished; he is

starting to admit that he has failed in his life-long project. Casaubon is

disappointed also with Dorothea; she does all her duties as a wife, but he

suspects that she is critical of him secretly, and this disturbs him a

great deal.

Casaubon's vitriol against Will, and against Dorothea's suspected

affection for Will, takes him over; he concedes to write a passage into his

will "protecting" Dorothea from marrying eager, potentially deceptive

suitors like Will. Lydgate finally arrives, and Casaubon asks that he be

told exactly what his condition is. Lydgate tells him that he has a heart

ailment, but cannot be sure that it will cut his life short, or have any

immediate effect. Lydgate goes once Casaubon has heard enough, and Dorothea

comes out to fetch him; he withdraws from her, and soon she becomes angry

at him for treating her so. Dorothea realizes that she has reduced herself

in order to try and please him, but he seems to be satisfied with nothing;

she is tired of not being herself, and resents him greatly. However, when

he says that he needs her help, she forgets her anger, and goes to join

him.

Chapter 43:

Dorothea decides to seek out Lydgate, and ask him if there has been a

serious change in her husband's condition, or else why he has been so

troubled since Lydgate's visit. She goes to his house, and finds Rosamond

there; but Will is also there, which makes Dorothea panic, and she

immediately leaves to find Lydgate at his hospital. Will fears that

Dorothea will think badly of him because she has found him in the company

of another woman, and not totally devoted to her; but she acted the way she

did because she likes him, and knows that her husband doesn't approve of

the friendship, and that it is some kind of betrayal as well.

Rosamond begins to get ideas about perhaps attracting other admirers, in

order to appease her vanity, and allay her fears about Lydgate's fondness

for her growing weaker. It seems like she might try to win Mr. Ladislaw's

affections, and seems a little jealous that he likes Dorothea rather than

her. She also seems to suspect that maybe her husband has a soft spot for

Dorothea, and that might have been part of the reason she was searching for

Lydgate.

Chapter 44:

Dorothea finally talks to Lydgate, and Lydgate tells her that Casaubon

now knows about his condition, and he is probably upset by it. Lydgate

turns her attention to the new hospital; Bulstrode has been one of the few

supporting it, and so many are against the hospital because they do not

like Bulstrode. Dorothea says that she would like to do something for such

a good cause, and pledges money from her yearly allowance; she is happier

that she is able to make a significant contribution, but still her

husband's illness and behavior bother her.

Chapter 45:

Lydgate's practice seems to be at the mercy of rumor, hearsay, and

general sentiment; people go to him because they have heard about "miracle

cures" that he has done, or stay away because they have heard he is

newfangled, and they like their present practitioner just fine. The

backward Middlemarch way of doing and deciding has helped Lydgate's

reputation and practice to spread, but opinion could turn against him just

as rapidly, and dry up his practice. Lydgate is unlucky enough to come into

Middlemarch at a time when old ways are becoming contested in other

regions, and reforms have started to creep into Middlemarch as well; a few

believe that maybe his way is best, but others have been roused to defend

the old, and are more militant about this point than usual. Lydgate is also

disliked because he has taken on cases from other doctors, given a

different diagnosis, and been able to cure them; this wounds the vanity of

the old-guard doctors, and increases their personal dislike for Lydgate.

Mr. Bulstrode is on the side of progress, with Lydgate; this means

that many prominent, wealthy citizens, who dislike both Bulstrode and

innovation, refuse to donate to the new hospital. Lydgate is becoming too

closely tied to the widely disliked Bulstrode that his reputation is

beginning to suffer; Farebrother tells him so, and hopefully Lydgate will

distance himself some. Farebrother also warns Lydgate against having too

many debts.

Lydgate thinks that he might be among the great innovators of

medicine, and this necessitates making enemies, and having opinion turn

against you; in this, he is a little conceited, since there is no way he

can claim an advance as great as those of his hero, Vesalius. It is fine

for Lydgate to try and change the outdated medical practice around him; but

his egotism and his visions of greatness could easily hamper his progress,

and get him into even more trouble with his peers and patients.

Chapter 46:

An issue of reform is coming before Parliament, which Will supports,

and Brooke decides to as well. Will seems to have a good deal of insight

into British national politics, as he can make sense of issues and

candidates, and make a convincing case for his opinion. Mr. Brooke,

however, doesn't seem to be able to put his thoughts in a convincing

argument; he is rather flippant in setting out his opinion, and is easily

swayed by Ladislaw's better-formed opinions. Will is not winning any fans

because of his unconventional behavior and views, as most people dislike

his speeches and his writing because they are different.

Will wants Mr. Brooke to be elected to Parliament; however, with the

uncomplimentary way in which Mr. Brooke is regarded in much of the

neighborhood, this is unlikely. Will is perhaps a bit idealistic in

believing that Mr. Brooke could actually win; he might assume that the

citizens of Middlemarch are more sensible than they really are, in which

case his plans would fail. Lydgate makes some points about area politics

that perhaps he should take into account regarding his own situation; the

two argue for a bit about these political issues, then Ladislaw leaves

after they have tried to patch things up.

Chapter 47:

Will, who cares little what people think, stops to consider how his

employment with Mr. Brooke, and his involvement with Mr. Brooke's politics,

might be hindering him and making him look foolish. Even more important is

whether he really is a fool for following along with Brooke; Will does

think that the relation has cost him some of his dignity and individuality.

All the same, he wants to stay in Middlemarch, at that position, in order

to be near Dorothea; but he considers whether he is a fool with her too,

and his hopeless devotion will amount to nothing if he gains no proof that

she shares his affection.

Will has also become aware of what his cousin Casaubon thinks of him

being friends with Dorothea; he knows that Casaubon might think that Will

means dishonor in his interest in her, but Will really does not. Will

decides to go to Lowick church to see her, aware that Casaubon will be

upset. However, his doubt is only reinforced; Dorothea shows no happiness

to see him, instead seeming pained; Will is saddened by the whole affair,

and seems close to calling it quits on the whole affair.

Chapter 48:

Dorothea is actually happy that Will showed up at church, and wishes

for his company, since she is often alone at home. Dorothea is not allowing

her husband's disapproval to stifle her feelings for Will, though it will

be difficult for her to see him. Casaubon is, all of a sudden, requesting

Dorothea's help with his studies, and being kinder to her; perhaps this is

a result of his talk with Lydgate, and he wants to get his work in order

finally, and be on better terms with his wife, in case he dies suddenly.

However, Casaubon next asks her if she will follow his wishes for her after

he dies, whenever that is; Dorothea has to consider, since she is reluctant

to promise to do something, when she does not know what it is. She secretly

suspects that it may have something to do with Will, but consciously

considers that it has to do with finishing Casaubon's work, which she does

not want to devote years to.

However, before she can make an answer, Casaubon dies. Dorothea is at first

in denial, and tells Lydgate everything, and to tell her husband that she

has an answer. It might be a good thing for her that she does not have to

hold herself to any answer she made; but she still does not know what

Casaubon's wish was.

Chapter 49:

Sir James and Mr. Brooke are supposedly discussing Casaubon's last

wish; they decide that whatever was in the will should be hidden from

Dorothea until she is strong enough to hear of it, and until then she

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