Christopher Antimie’s Reviews > Middlemarch > Status Update
Christopher Antimie
is on page 32 of 786
"The objectionable puppy, whose nose and eyes were equally black and expressive, was thus got rid of, since Miss Brooke decided that it had better not have been born" (p 28). Some interesting symbolism at play with Sir James and his remonstrated pup as well as the recurring "Exactly". Glad the text is taking a turn for the comical, rather than simple the didactic.
— Jan 22, 2025 09:36PM
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Christopher’s Previous Updates
Christopher Antimie
is on page 132 of 786
"And there’s none more ready to nurse you than your own
sister and your own nieces, if you’d only say the word. There’s
Rebecca, and Joanna, and Elizabeth, you know."
“Ay, ay, I remember—you’ll see I’ve remembered ’em all—all dark and
ugly. They’d need have some money, eh? There never was any beauty in
the women of our family"
On a less serious note, Mary Garth is what the kids call "bae"
— Feb 01, 2025 01:30PM
sister and your own nieces, if you’d only say the word. There’s
Rebecca, and Joanna, and Elizabeth, you know."
“Ay, ay, I remember—you’ll see I’ve remembered ’em all—all dark and
ugly. They’d need have some money, eh? There never was any beauty in
the women of our family"
On a less serious note, Mary Garth is what the kids call "bae"
Christopher Antimie
is on page 66 of 786
“ 'He has got no good red blood in his body,' said Sir James.
'No. Somebody put a drop under a magnifying-glass and it was all semicolons and parentheses,' said Mrs. Cadwallader. " (p 65)
— Jan 28, 2025 11:52AM
'No. Somebody put a drop under a magnifying-glass and it was all semicolons and parentheses,' said Mrs. Cadwallader. " (p 65)
Christopher Antimie
is on page 58 of 786
" 'Oh, Mrs. Cadwallader, I don’t think it can be nice to marry a man with a great soul.'
'Well, my dear, take warning. You know the look of one now; when the next comes and wants to marry you, don’t you accept him.' ” (p 51)
— Jan 27, 2025 05:27PM
'Well, my dear, take warning. You know the look of one now; when the next comes and wants to marry you, don’t you accept him.' ” (p 51)
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Jan 23, 2025 06:41PM
Yess, George Eliot is a legend for her subtle brilliance. You can’t exactly call her work comedic, but she’ll come out of nowhere with these small dashes of humor. Also, I’d be interested to hear what symbolism you’re seeing in James and the pup! And honestly the whole cast of characters so far lol
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Also, sorry if Middlemarch is kinda a drag rn… it’s a magnificent character study but a lot of why it’s so great is because it takes its TIME to let you get to know the cast 😬
I should have elaborated but the character limit is what it is. I don't mind a novel on the more serious side, but like you said, the small dash of humor comes out of nowhere and so it stands out all the more- read with a more serious tone they still work though so maybe "comical" isn't the right word but rather something along the lines of "sinister" or "absurd".
As for James and the pup, they seem to be essentially interchangeable, and having Miss Brooke invalidate the existence of the puppy for James is great. Everything she says about the Maltese essentially applies more or less directly to James: it is helpless and frail, and essentially parasitic- less interesting even than a weasel or a mouse; she considers it fit for her sister but tends not to see it well and tramples over it and so despises it; she says that animals can either carry their out their own affairs or, like the dog, be companions- she goes on to close the chapter with thoughts of how men like him with so few ideas or so little direction can be useful members of society under good feminine direction. And then in the beginning of the next chapter she refers to him as a "good creature". There's also the thing about never being able to consider as a lover the type of man who says "Exactly" even when a woman is expressing uncertainty (though Miss Brooke goes past expressing uncertainty and is outright critical) and this word is the hottest term in James's vocabulary.
There's also an interesting thing about some of her criticisms about the puppy applying to her aspirations to become Mr. Casaubon's special helper.
I guess Casaubon could also stand in for the weasel or mouse
Ahh dang, now I want to converse about this but I’m scared of accidentally dropping a spoiler or something loll
So all I’m going to say is that you nailed it…except for Casaubon being a weasel or mouse… he’s obviously like a god or something
Casaubon is definitely something special. I guess he is a sort of transcendental figure having surpassed the human propensity for emotional expression.*I can't believe I used "essentially" three times in the first two sentences 0_0*
LOL that’s one way to describe him… And no worries… at least it wasn’t the word “exactly” 💀
