READING GROUP

Middlemarch

There’s no better time to start a hefty tome than in dark, chilly January, and a hefty tome with a great New Year party scene seems just the thing. Join us in getting stuck into Middlemarch this month. If you’ve not read the book, or (no judgement here) seen the BBC series, the novel is summed up by its subtitle: ‘A Study of Provincial Life.’ Penned by George Eliot (aka Mary Anne Evans), it follows the lives of the residents of a fictitious Midlands town, in particular Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate. Enjoy! Questions to ponder: The town of Middlemarch is often described as a ‘character’ in itself. Would you agree? Do you think the use of the term ‘provincial’ in the subtitle has deliberately negative connotations? Further reading: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell, for another tale of an English town. For a modern twist, try My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead.