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theaparaskeva 's review for:
Middlemarch
by George Eliot
I don't think I have anything to say about this novel that has not been said before. It is simply a brilliant book with extremely complex characters and fascinating events that shape them into the persons they end up becoming by the end of it.
My favorite part of the whole reading experience was being able to read about the narrator's psychological rendering of the characters while seeing their development along the narrative's progression. Some of them are idealistic while others are more realistic, a fact that adds a lot of diversity and richness in the characterization of this book. Their different, and a lot of times completely opposite, beliefs on religion, politics, marriage and life in general are the cause of many conflicts between them and only add to the very complex interpretation of each of them. Their multi-dimensionality has been crafted so masterfully by Eliot. They are all so rich in thought, opinions and sentiment and a lot of their concerns and goals can be found in our own ever-changing society. What I believe is one of the novel's biggest strengths is that it has no character who is perfect in it. They all make mistakes but eventually try their best to fix them or, if they can't fix them, they get through life trying to live with and make up for them.
What I found extremely fascinating was the concept of heroism that is found in some of the characters. In a way, some of them continually try to be the hero of their story and save themselves from a particular situation that they are in. Others want to be heroes for the rest of the town of Middlemarch and even for the rest of the world, in smaller or bigger ways, and it's a trait of them that I appreciate as well as a very wholesome thing to read about.
That being said, it is also worth noting how all of them can be seen as the antagonists of their own story. Many of them stand in the way of their own happiness by making choices that end up being the most inconvenient for them and dismiss the ones that would truly make them happy, without giving it much thought, which is understandable since they are all in eager search for a comfortable life that was set by society at that specific time in England. These bad choices, however, are the ones that define them the most as they are the ones that, eventually, will force them to change their ways, a fact that renders the book a genuine and accurate representation of what it means to be a human being.
At the end of the day, it all comes back to human relationships, compassion and understanding. Forming relations and maintaining them is never easy, and I think this novel represents this perfectly. Middlemarch is one of the greatest works of realism I have read and will ever read. It is so much more than I have been able to describe, and I can't wait to re-read it again as I'm sure I will be left even more fascinated by it. One hundred percent worth the read.
My favorite part of the whole reading experience was being able to read about the narrator's psychological rendering of the characters while seeing their development along the narrative's progression. Some of them are idealistic while others are more realistic, a fact that adds a lot of diversity and richness in the characterization of this book. Their different, and a lot of times completely opposite, beliefs on religion, politics, marriage and life in general are the cause of many conflicts between them and only add to the very complex interpretation of each of them. Their multi-dimensionality has been crafted so masterfully by Eliot. They are all so rich in thought, opinions and sentiment and a lot of their concerns and goals can be found in our own ever-changing society. What I believe is one of the novel's biggest strengths is that it has no character who is perfect in it. They all make mistakes but eventually try their best to fix them or, if they can't fix them, they get through life trying to live with and make up for them.
What I found extremely fascinating was the concept of heroism that is found in some of the characters. In a way, some of them continually try to be the hero of their story and save themselves from a particular situation that they are in. Others want to be heroes for the rest of the town of Middlemarch and even for the rest of the world, in smaller or bigger ways, and it's a trait of them that I appreciate as well as a very wholesome thing to read about.
That being said, it is also worth noting how all of them can be seen as the antagonists of their own story. Many of them stand in the way of their own happiness by making choices that end up being the most inconvenient for them and dismiss the ones that would truly make them happy, without giving it much thought, which is understandable since they are all in eager search for a comfortable life that was set by society at that specific time in England. These bad choices, however, are the ones that define them the most as they are the ones that, eventually, will force them to change their ways, a fact that renders the book a genuine and accurate representation of what it means to be a human being.
At the end of the day, it all comes back to human relationships, compassion and understanding. Forming relations and maintaining them is never easy, and I think this novel represents this perfectly. Middlemarch is one of the greatest works of realism I have read and will ever read. It is so much more than I have been able to describe, and I can't wait to re-read it again as I'm sure I will be left even more fascinated by it. One hundred percent worth the read.