Tag Archives: George Eliot

Cormac McCarthy’s “God-Mike”

A wonderful post from Ted about The Crossing, and Cormac McCarthy’s sudden piercing bouts of omniscience – hard to pull off, nigh on impossible, actually. The great Russian writers do it all the time, but of course, they invented the … Continue reading

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The Books: “Middlemarch” (George Eliot)

Daily Book Excerpt: Adult fiction: Middlemarch – by George Eliot I finally read this monumental book – one of the greatest achievements in English literature – a couple years ago. It intimidated me. Or – no, not intimidated. It was … Continue reading

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A.S. Byatt: “experiments in life”

AS Byatt’s must-read essay on George Eliot’s Middlemarch. Excerpt: When I was younger it was fashionable to criticise Eliot for writing from a god’s eye view, as though she were omniscient. Her authorial commenting voice appeared old-fashioned. It was felt … Continue reading

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1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die

Jessa Crispin has an interesting interview with Peter Boxall, editor of 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. I loved what Boxall said at the end: “Having benefited from an extraordinary number of emails and letters as well as … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, George Eliot!

I actually know very little about her real life – all I know is is that I recently read Middlemarch (Penguin Classics) and it was one of those “A-ha” moments in life. When you realize: Ohhhhh, so THAT’S why everybody … Continue reading

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The End

I finished Middlemarch a couple days ago. My main response is: “Well. Okay. So THAT’S why everybody talks about that book.”

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Middlemarch Middle Of the Night

Had a pretty much sleepless night last night. I normally have no problems with descending into oblivion, but last night was terrible. I lay awake, eyes wide open, staring into the darkness, pretty much worrying myself into a nervous attack. … Continue reading

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George Eliot’s Sad Letter

“the saddest letter ever written” – Posted by Anne. To put yourself into a position where you would not only be satisfied with the scraps from someone’s table – but you would be fully nourished on those meager scraps … … Continue reading

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Middlemarch: “Advancing womanhood had tempered her plainness”

From Middlemarch: An amazing description of “plain” Mary Garth: Mary Garth, on the contrary, had the aspect of an ordinary sinner: she was brown; her curly dark hair was rough and stubborn; her stature was low; and it would not … Continue reading

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Middlemarch: Prigs

From Middlemarch: “A prig is a fellow who is always making you a present of his opinions.”

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