Reading the Chunksters discussion

Please post your thoughts on this section.

Do you think that Dodo is beginning to have romantic feelings for Ladislaw, or is it just comfort in friendship? She is so frequently neglected by her husband, that I feel anyone who paid attention to her would be seen in a gracious light by her.

I really didn’t realize that Dodo’s uncle was such a bad land owner. I mean, from these passages, he seems truly awful. Stingy and also authoritarian. In what way does he think he can run as a progressive, is it all self-delusion? I can’t pin down in his character. I do think that his friends are right, and that he is going to be embarrassed by this.

I also have to say I love the scenes with the Garths. I think they are one of the only families in Middlemarch that I would care to associate with. I also am really fond of Mr. Farebrother. I always assumed that Farebrother was around 40, but he begins to ruminate on his feelings for Mary, is he younger than I thought? Also, did anyone else catch the line “rich as a Jew”? Its always subtle lines like that in Victorian and Edwardian novels that really points to the inherent anti-semitism.

And here we find out that Rigg is a bastard son. I’m worried about him. Middlemarch needs an influence of sane people, good natured, and moral. He seems a somewhat shadowy and bitteer character though.

Chapter 42 really shows Eliot’s strength as an author. Such clever insight into characters, such believable motivations, delusions, and justifications for each person. I felt like I really got a sense of Eliot’s genius in this chapter more than any other so far.

Unfortunately, I've read ahead and so can't really comment on some of Becky's thoughts.

I can say that Farebrother is indeed 40.

I think someone hit the nail on the head when they described Brooke as the comic relief. The man is just addle brained and doesn't really think things through when he makes assumptions.

I really don't like Casaubon.

I just read the next section (egads)

I don't care for Casaubon either, but I felt that Eliot really did an immensely amazing job at getting into the motivations of the characters. Intricate layers of feelings, remonstrations against self, justifications, hopes, I was awed by her power as an author.

I'm a bit confused as to who Joshua Rigg really is. I've read further in the book and still have a lot of confusion in that regard. I think once I'm done with the whole thing I'll have to go look at the SparkNotes later and read some characters sketches so I can finally figure out how all of these people are related to or connected with each other. I feel like I need a family tree or a map, a la Tolkein. There have been mentions of Ladislaw being Causubon's cousin/nephew, but I can't figure out which, and I'm not sure I'm supposed to know at this point? Just very confused.

And I can't figure out Dorothea either. I think she may be unintentionally allowing romantic feelings to grow for Ladislaw, but he is outright encouraging it, which is very disrespectful on his part. Even if she does allow those feelings to grow, however, I think that she is loyal and religious enough that she will never act on it, at least not while her husband is alive. Although based on these chapters, I'm not sure that will be for much longer. Maybe they can be happy after that :)