British Literature Survey
Path 2: George Eliot Group

 

Student-Researched Reference Topics

Reading Foci

  • the feminine ideal, as variously configured by the novel's male and female characters
  • the untrustworthiness of appearances--of apparent propriety, wealth, beauty, religiosity
  • the novel's portrayal of rural and provincial life, values, and prejudices
  • the narrator's reflections on human psychology and motivation
  • the purpose of marriage, as variously configured by the novel's characters
  • the presence of the narrator's own bias and opinions: obtrusive or helpful?
  • the novel's attitude towards various social & personal manifestations of religious faith
  • the poetic and philosophical ideals of Will Ladislaw, as echoes of certain Romantic poets
  • the narrator's habit of describing various characters as pitiful, or "poor"
  • commentary concerning the novel's era (c.1829-32)--its politics, scientific advances, etc.
Week One: Jan 12-14 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 1, chps 1-6
Week Two: Jan 15-21 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 1, chps 7-12
Week Three: Jan 22-28 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 2, chps 13-17

Week Four: Jan 29-Feb 4

Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 2, chps 18-22
Week Five: Feb 5-11 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 3, chps 23-28
Week Six: Feb 12-18 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 3, chps 29-34
Week Seven: Feb 19-25 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 4, chps 35-38
Week Eight: Feb 26-Mar 4 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 4, chps 39-42
Week Nine: Mar 5-11 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 5, chps 43-48
Spring Break (read Brother Jacob)
Week Ten: Mar 19-25 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 5, chps 49-53 AND Book 6, chps 54-58
Week Eleven: Mar 26-Apr 1 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 6, chps 59-62
Week Twelve: Apr 2-8 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 7, chps 63-67
Week Thirteen: Apr 9-15 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 7, chps 68-71
Week Fourteen: Apr 16-22 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 8, chps 72-79
Week Fifteen: Apr 23-29 Middlemarch (1870-71): Book 8, chps 80-87 (Finale)



Paul Marchbanks
marchban@email.unc.edu