Middlemarch Readathon: Books 5 and 6

Paul’s thoughts on Middlemarch Book 5 (The Dead Hand) and Book 6 (The Widow and the Wife)

Firstly, apologies that this blog post is delayed. I missed the window of opportunity for getting my post about Book 5 out in time so, instead, here is a bumper blog post to cover Books 5 and 6.

The truth is I got distracted by other things I had to read, just at the point where in Chapter 45 there is extensive discussion of the New Fever Hospital which Lydgate plans. Interesting as early Victorian medical practice is, as a reader I lost the thread a little and laid Middlemarch aside for a while. Subconsciously, the title of ‘The Dead Hand’ had me just waiting for Dorothea to be released from her increasingly claustrophobic and oppressive marriage. Then Casaubon seems to ail for quite a few chapters before he finally dies. That sounds harsh and unfeeling, doesn’t it? But if you have read beyond this point, you will know that Casaubon inflicts even more oppression and unhappiness after his death by adding a specific codicil to his will blocking Dorothea’s inheritance if she marries Ladislaw – George Eliot skilfully extending the reach of this vile character beyond the grave. Understandably, this overshadows the whole of this section of the book and sets tongues wagging in Middlemarch. However, Fred Vincy re-emerges with fresh hopes of getting together with Mary Garth. All my pity for Fred has gone now as he uses poor Mr Farebrother, who is himself besotted with Mary, as his romantic go-between. Is this deliberate or just that Fred lacks insight? Either way it doesn’t seem very fair. Then Bulstrode seems to be reaching the levels of acceptability he craves by acquiring Peter Featherstone’s property from Rigg. Although clouds appear on the horizon as Book 5 closes, with the emergence of the seriously dodgy dealer in Mr Raffles from Mr Bulstrode’s past. What can have happened in Nick Bulstrode’s past to elevate him to his present position? Of course, this is a wonderful cliffhanger to get us to read on.

As you can tell, I still feel part of Middlemarch’s all-consuming world, which is a real tribute to Eliot’s talent. In ‘The Widow and the Wife’ we are launched into the aftermath of Casaubon’s posthumous misdoings. The ‘widow’ part of the title is of course Dorothea adjusting to her new life without Casaubon, and eventually Will Ladislaw has little choice but to finally depart Middlemarch. The ‘wife’ takes us back to Lydgate and Rosamond, a marriage that would never be made in heaven, and inevitably they are plunging into debt. I can’t say I feel sorry for either of them! Two interesting themes emerge in this section. Firstly, the coming of the railways:

“In the hundred to which Middlemarch belonged railways were as exciting a topic as the Reform Bill or the imminent horrors of Cholera.”

It is hard to imagine the impact this had on the landscape, but also the population as a whole. Rural workers concerned that they would lose their living, the general population horrified at the speed and scary technology, and of course landowners and rail entrepreneurs making a killing. If you want to know more, this article by Paul H Lorenz is interesting.

Secondly, the way Will Ladislaw is treated as an outsider or – even worse – a foreigner! The deep suspicion in provincial England, then as now, that suggests ‘the other’. Gwyn pointed out this recent review in The Guardian: an interesting updating of Middlemarch to a murder mystery set in 1982, also a time of significant disruption in recent history, and I am sure that many things in Middlemarch will always feel familiar to us in the 21st century as well.

We are on the last stretch now, so don’t forget, if you can get to Wrexham on Saturday 23 April at 4pm, we will be celebrating this great novel and getting to the end. There will also be a quiz, so it promises to be fun.