George Eliot by François D’Albert Durade
Virginia Woolf famously said that George Eliot’s monumental Middlemarch from 1872 was “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.” Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, leads participants through an in-depth exploration and comprehensive analysis of what many believe to be one of the greatest novels of all time. Luzzi examines how Eliot employs such innovative literary techniques as narrative omniscience and free indirect style while also considering the novel’s treatment of political issues, the emotional lives of its characters, and key transitions in English social and cultural life. He explains why Middlemarch remains a widely read, beloved work and how the issues it raises are still relevant.
10–11 a.m. George Eliot: A Literary Life
Luzzi discusses significant aspects of Eliot’s life, especially as they relate to the creation of Middlemarch.
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m. Coming of Age: Middlemarch, Chapters 1–28
Luzzi considers the development of the major characters, especially in Dorothea Brooke’s coming-of-age story and her marriage to the much older scholar, Casaubon. He also explores the tools and techniques Eliot uses in describing the social customs and cultural practices of her fictional town, Middlemarch.
12:15–12:45 p.m. Break
12:45–1:45 p.m. From Self to Society: Middlemarch, Chapters 29–57
Luzzi explores how the novel’s many characters negotiate the relationship between their private selves and their public identities. He focuses on the idealistic physician Lydgate and his romantic association with the vain and pampered Rosamond.
2–3 p.m. Summing Up: Middlemarch, Chapters 58–Finale
In analyzing the concluding chapters, Luzzi discusses how Eliot resolves the narrative threads that she develops and sets in dialogue with one another, especially the intricate plot involving the nefarious Bulstrode. He also considers the legacy of Middlemarch and its influence on both literary and popular culture.
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