Middlemarch is a) the greatest English novel and b) about a young woman who wants to do the most good that she can, but whose idealism is often hampered by her failure to understand social norms and the people around her. So if you’re reading this blog you’d probably like it.
A weird thing about Middlemarch is that even though it's so polyphonic and rich etc etc it's also surprisingly didactic in quite a direct way about what a relationship should be: you should marry an equal whom you share intellectual values with and then have an equal partnership! If you don't it's going to work out badly for you!
I think a lot of Lydgate fans (and worse, Rosamond fans) are invested for whatever reason in that not being the message of the novel, or the novel not being committed in that way, because that particular configuration is intensely unerotic to them. But it is!
You know the dynamic on Twitter where men of - shall we say - lower socioeconomic origin insist that all billionaires secretly yearn to marry a blonde and incompetent Applebee's waitress? And what's happening is that they are projecting their own desire onto someone with greater optionality? Teenagers are, alas, those guys.
naming the woman who cucks a carpenter sorrel=bitter herb…. naming a woman who sells herself into a marriage of convenience “harlet(h)”.,,,rascally Eliot
Exactly. Rosamunde doesn't bring Lydgate down with her obsession with furniture, she's a reflection of his own, genuine authentic obsession with furniture, because furniture is what she is to him. The rose of Rosamunde growing on the compost of Lydgate's rotting dreams is tragic but poetically just.
I think one reason fans buy into Lydgate’s self-image is that his relationship to Rosamond is kind of bizarre.
I don’t have the book in front of me, but he seems really solid and set, he decides he shouldn’t marry her and should focus on his work. Then she cries in front of him, he gets infected by a brain virus, kisses her tears, and they emerge engaged.
It does seem like you’re underestimating how self-sacrificial Lydgate is at certain times. He could have made much more money and led a much more comfortable life if he was anything but a doctor. He worked at the hospital for free for a long time. And yes, there is obviously some self-delusion, in that his own image of being a high-born gentleman unconcerned with money contradicted his actual position. He talks about robbing cadavers but then buys the most expensive furniture without thought or budgeting.
We could compare him to Caleb Garth. I guess the difference is that he and his family were used to it. There’s an understanding: we might starve because of the kind of man he is. But Lydgate isn't willing to be poor and humble, and his self-image of the ascetic scientist dissolves immediately upon the lightest contact with Rosamond’s expectations.
I feel like the way that he gets engaged to her, in spite of his plans, kind of shows how much his plans are worth? At least he’s not vronsky-ing and just leading on girls for fun. But him flirting with her while not intending to get married and then finding himself stuck is…exactly the problem. His intention not to get married justifies him in his own mind in flirting with her
Love this! Okay, but...is there actually any romantic tension between Lydgate and Dorothea? My impression was that Dorothea respects and pities Lydgate, but I didn't get the barest hint of a chance that they could end up together (in large part bc Lydgate marries Rosamund pretty early in the book, so he's not even single).
And Dorothea is not his type either!!!! Eliot must have intended readers to think maybe they could get together… but really they have like zero chemistry. Surely not a mistake Dodo would make twice
The bankruptcy in US vs Europe source was probably me, in some comment. I will talk about it any chance I get. That you have absorbed it is the highest compliment I have ever been paid.
Eliot is a total master of human nature and its nice to have a novel that is in so many ways about self-assessment. The novel is still (I think) the best medium for working through that. It's so transparent with Casaubon and his project, maybe a lot of readers just stop there.
also wow re: Rose of the World vs Gift of God. Now I'm going to have to reread
As a Ladislaw defender, I'm SO on board with this. Tbh, I think it's pretty fair to interpret Lydgate as having real potential based on his actions, and to defend him based on his potential--he researches intensely, he moves to a small town where he might have more focus and more control over the hospital, etc. I interpret his relationship with Rosamond as a tragedy, and I do think that Rosamond is mostly responsible for his downfall. (Aside: I thought that the miscarriage was perhaps intentional...? "Rosamond was mildly certain that the ride had made no difference and that if she had stayed at home the same symptoms would have come on and would have ended in the same way, because she had felt something like them before.") But Rosamond is only responsible for his downfall because he never had thought about a) money or b) marriage in practical terms to begin with, so he had no defense against her. So I take a more positive view than you do of Lydgate, but a much more positive view of Ladislaw than (apparently) many people do. I was stunned to hear that Ladislaw was unpopular and that people thought Dorothea was "marrying down" in virtue and intellect (or whatever the argument was).
Dorothea starts the book as a pretty naive person, and her process of wising up is a great poetic echo for Ladislaw's. Ladislaw--the guy who went out seeking his skill and passion, and matured to find a genuine, practical way to improve the world--is a great match for her! Not to mention that we get a lot from the book about how she feels open and comfortable and understood when they're together, and they have great conversations. That's a strong foundation for a relationship. Lydgate and Dorothea might share a sense of mission, but I get zero sense of emotional chemistry between them. And that's partly because Lydgate doesn't WANT to marry a Dorothea type. He might wish that she could have a closer intellectual partnership with him than society of the time would allow. But ultimately he wants an ornamental wife! My read is that Rosamond's shallowness isn't a real problem for Lydgate, it's everything else. If Rosamond had been supportive, submissive, admiring, and cheerful, he wouldn't have regretted marrying her, and he wouldn't bother to compare her unfavorably to Dorothea. His emphasis in his regrets is that Rosamond doesn't admire and look up to him, not that she isn't smart enough. Likewise, what he appreciates about Dorothea is her virtue and emotional depth, but I don't get the sense that he especially appreciates her intelligence.
All that to say, the relationship I wish I could see isn't Dorothea/Lydgate, it's Mary/Farebrother. Mary/Fred really grew on me, so by the epilogue, I'm happy enough with it, and I think following Mary's perspective on Fred is deeply fascinating. Given their journey, I can't REALLY wish that Mary had gotten together with Farebrother. But if I knew all these people in real life, I would've definitely rooted for Mary/Farebrother. Mary/Fred feels a bit like a reflection of what Ladislaw detractors think of Dorothea/Ladislaw. Why aren't people more up in arms about Mary/Fred? Or am I just not following the discourse enough?
By the way, I find it fascinating that in both Middlemarch and Jane Eyre, our virtuous and brilliant heroine is contrasted directly (in the eyes of a male lead) with a gorgeous, shallow Rosamond. In both books, the male lead is some type of reformer, although obviously St. John and Lydgate are very different in their rigidity, diligence, and zealotry. It makes me wonder if Eliot was inspired by Bronte, and if she was, perhaps even subconsciously, inspired to write an alternate version of what could've happened to St. John if he had married his Rosamond. If so, she's sort of endorsing Jane Eyre's view that St. John wasn't truly in love with his Rosamond, that it was "a love of the senses" and he could never be a family man. But could easily just be a coincidence, or maybe Rosamond was a stereotypical hot-girl name in the Victorian era, like how in the 2000s, you might use Britney or Ashley for the popular-girl character.
A weird thing about Middlemarch is that even though it's so polyphonic and rich etc etc it's also surprisingly didactic in quite a direct way about what a relationship should be: you should marry an equal whom you share intellectual values with and then have an equal partnership! If you don't it's going to work out badly for you!
I think a lot of Lydgate fans (and worse, Rosamond fans) are invested for whatever reason in that not being the message of the novel, or the novel not being committed in that way, because that particular configuration is intensely unerotic to them. But it is!
Are there Rosamond fans?????
my book club had one! they also were/are a helene fan in our war & peace group. has a type, perhaps
i have to read w&p now so i know what this means 😭
i think you’d like it a lot!! similarly rich/deep characterization to middlemarch but also sometimes people get shot by cannons
I was 17 once.
Even for a 17 yo boy… is not Dorothea obviously like….sexier…. passionate horseback riding etc etc etc
You know the dynamic on Twitter where men of - shall we say - lower socioeconomic origin insist that all billionaires secretly yearn to marry a blonde and incompetent Applebee's waitress? And what's happening is that they are projecting their own desire onto someone with greater optionality? Teenagers are, alas, those guys.
I should say in my own condemnation that there was also a considerable erotics-of-tourism angle, which is if anything much worse
haha ok on this I disagree
lydgate does not go home with nothing in all this calculus
I didn't realize the tritagonist of Middlemarch was literally named Tertius... Eliot, you rascal!!!
naming the woman who cucks a carpenter sorrel=bitter herb…. naming a woman who sells herself into a marriage of convenience “harlet(h)”.,,,rascally Eliot
Exactly. Rosamunde doesn't bring Lydgate down with her obsession with furniture, she's a reflection of his own, genuine authentic obsession with furniture, because furniture is what she is to him. The rose of Rosamunde growing on the compost of Lydgate's rotting dreams is tragic but poetically just.
exactly!!!
This is kinda rambly, sorry.
I think one reason fans buy into Lydgate’s self-image is that his relationship to Rosamond is kind of bizarre.
I don’t have the book in front of me, but he seems really solid and set, he decides he shouldn’t marry her and should focus on his work. Then she cries in front of him, he gets infected by a brain virus, kisses her tears, and they emerge engaged.
It does seem like you’re underestimating how self-sacrificial Lydgate is at certain times. He could have made much more money and led a much more comfortable life if he was anything but a doctor. He worked at the hospital for free for a long time. And yes, there is obviously some self-delusion, in that his own image of being a high-born gentleman unconcerned with money contradicted his actual position. He talks about robbing cadavers but then buys the most expensive furniture without thought or budgeting.
We could compare him to Caleb Garth. I guess the difference is that he and his family were used to it. There’s an understanding: we might starve because of the kind of man he is. But Lydgate isn't willing to be poor and humble, and his self-image of the ascetic scientist dissolves immediately upon the lightest contact with Rosamond’s expectations.
Great post.
I feel like the way that he gets engaged to her, in spite of his plans, kind of shows how much his plans are worth? At least he’s not vronsky-ing and just leading on girls for fun. But him flirting with her while not intending to get married and then finding himself stuck is…exactly the problem. His intention not to get married justifies him in his own mind in flirting with her
also it would be more impressive if he was working in the hospital for free if he wasn’t living in a big house with nice furniture meanwhile!!!
Love this! Okay, but...is there actually any romantic tension between Lydgate and Dorothea? My impression was that Dorothea respects and pities Lydgate, but I didn't get the barest hint of a chance that they could end up together (in large part bc Lydgate marries Rosamund pretty early in the book, so he's not even single).
And Dorothea is not his type either!!!! Eliot must have intended readers to think maybe they could get together… but really they have like zero chemistry. Surely not a mistake Dodo would make twice
The bankruptcy in US vs Europe source was probably me, in some comment. I will talk about it any chance I get. That you have absorbed it is the highest compliment I have ever been paid.
Uh oh: I was about to say that the source was plausibly Megan McArdle, The Up Side of Down…
why is sympop so correct so often
Eliot is a total master of human nature and its nice to have a novel that is in so many ways about self-assessment. The novel is still (I think) the best medium for working through that. It's so transparent with Casaubon and his project, maybe a lot of readers just stop there.
also wow re: Rose of the World vs Gift of God. Now I'm going to have to reread
As a Ladislaw defender, I'm SO on board with this. Tbh, I think it's pretty fair to interpret Lydgate as having real potential based on his actions, and to defend him based on his potential--he researches intensely, he moves to a small town where he might have more focus and more control over the hospital, etc. I interpret his relationship with Rosamond as a tragedy, and I do think that Rosamond is mostly responsible for his downfall. (Aside: I thought that the miscarriage was perhaps intentional...? "Rosamond was mildly certain that the ride had made no difference and that if she had stayed at home the same symptoms would have come on and would have ended in the same way, because she had felt something like them before.") But Rosamond is only responsible for his downfall because he never had thought about a) money or b) marriage in practical terms to begin with, so he had no defense against her. So I take a more positive view than you do of Lydgate, but a much more positive view of Ladislaw than (apparently) many people do. I was stunned to hear that Ladislaw was unpopular and that people thought Dorothea was "marrying down" in virtue and intellect (or whatever the argument was).
Dorothea starts the book as a pretty naive person, and her process of wising up is a great poetic echo for Ladislaw's. Ladislaw--the guy who went out seeking his skill and passion, and matured to find a genuine, practical way to improve the world--is a great match for her! Not to mention that we get a lot from the book about how she feels open and comfortable and understood when they're together, and they have great conversations. That's a strong foundation for a relationship. Lydgate and Dorothea might share a sense of mission, but I get zero sense of emotional chemistry between them. And that's partly because Lydgate doesn't WANT to marry a Dorothea type. He might wish that she could have a closer intellectual partnership with him than society of the time would allow. But ultimately he wants an ornamental wife! My read is that Rosamond's shallowness isn't a real problem for Lydgate, it's everything else. If Rosamond had been supportive, submissive, admiring, and cheerful, he wouldn't have regretted marrying her, and he wouldn't bother to compare her unfavorably to Dorothea. His emphasis in his regrets is that Rosamond doesn't admire and look up to him, not that she isn't smart enough. Likewise, what he appreciates about Dorothea is her virtue and emotional depth, but I don't get the sense that he especially appreciates her intelligence.
All that to say, the relationship I wish I could see isn't Dorothea/Lydgate, it's Mary/Farebrother. Mary/Fred really grew on me, so by the epilogue, I'm happy enough with it, and I think following Mary's perspective on Fred is deeply fascinating. Given their journey, I can't REALLY wish that Mary had gotten together with Farebrother. But if I knew all these people in real life, I would've definitely rooted for Mary/Farebrother. Mary/Fred feels a bit like a reflection of what Ladislaw detractors think of Dorothea/Ladislaw. Why aren't people more up in arms about Mary/Fred? Or am I just not following the discourse enough?
By the way, I find it fascinating that in both Middlemarch and Jane Eyre, our virtuous and brilliant heroine is contrasted directly (in the eyes of a male lead) with a gorgeous, shallow Rosamond. In both books, the male lead is some type of reformer, although obviously St. John and Lydgate are very different in their rigidity, diligence, and zealotry. It makes me wonder if Eliot was inspired by Bronte, and if she was, perhaps even subconsciously, inspired to write an alternate version of what could've happened to St. John if he had married his Rosamond. If so, she's sort of endorsing Jane Eyre's view that St. John wasn't truly in love with his Rosamond, that it was "a love of the senses" and he could never be a family man. But could easily just be a coincidence, or maybe Rosamond was a stereotypical hot-girl name in the Victorian era, like how in the 2000s, you might use Britney or Ashley for the popular-girl character.
Ah yes I am not the only one who sometimes takes months to publish my drafts.
I remember that Inkhaven feedback circle.
he’s called ladislaw because the smalltown anglos can’t pronounce his name btw, i remember that annoyed you
ohh so there is even an in-book reason for this! this satisfies me!