Middlemarch

Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel written by Mary Anne Evans, who wrote under the pseudonym George Eliot. It was first published in eight installments between 1871 and 1872.

The story takes place in the fictional town of Middlemarch, in the English region of the Midlands during the years 1830–32.

The novel develops four intersecting stories: Dorothea Brooke’s marriage to Edward Casaubon, Tertius Lydgate’s marriage to Rosamond Vincy, Fred Vincy’s hopes of building a life with Mary Garth, and Nicholas Bulstrode’s struggle to conceal his past. Together, they form a detailed chronicle of a community in a time of change.

Its interwoven storylines and large cast explore the position of women, marriage, idealism and self-interest, religion and hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Its leisurely pace and reflective voice create a broad portrait of provincial life.