Book Six, the Widow and the Wife. Books one, two, three, four, and five are still up.
1) This book opens as Dorothea is staying with Celia and the new baby. Celia thinks that she should stay visiting them (and there is an amusing exchange between she and James where she declares that Dorothea could not have as wonderful a baby as she has, and he responds with, “not if it had been like Causabon” bwahahhahahahaa). Dorothea is ready to go back home.
Why do you think Celia wishes her to stay, and do you think it was time for Dorothea to head home?
2) As Dorothea collects Causabon’s effects and contemplates her marriage:. “At first she walked into every room, questioning the eighteen months of her married life, and carrying on her thoughts as if they were a speech to be heard by her husband. Then, she lingered in the library and could not be at rest till she had carefully ranged all the note-books as she imagined that he would wish to see them, in orderly sequence. The pity which had been the restraining compelling motive in her life with him still clung about his image, even while she remonstrated with him in indignant thought and told him that he was unjust. One little act of hers may perhaps be smiled at as superstitious. The "Synoptical Tabulation for the use of Mrs Casaubon", she carefully enclosed and sealed, writing within the envelope, / I could not use it. Do you not see now that I could not submit my soul to yours, by working hopelessly at what I have no belief in? -- Dorothea. / Then she deposited the paper in her own desk.” (Chapter 54 )
What did you think of this scene, of her final action to Casaubon, and of her reasons for returning home?
3) In Chapter 55 , Mrs. Cadwaller encourages Dorothea to remarry quickly so she can get out of having to wear mourning for a year. Dorothea states that she is perfectly fine being unmarried, and James finishes the chapter thinking: "Sir James made no remark. To his secret feeling, there was something repulsive in a woman's second marriage, and no match would prevent him from feeling it a sort of desecration for Dorothea. He was aware that the world would regard such a sentiment as preposterous, especially in relation to a woman of one-and-twenty; the practice of "the world" being to treat of a young widow's second marriage as certain and probably near, and to smile with meaning if the widow acts accordingly. But if Dorothea did choose to espouse her solitude, he felt that the resolution would well become her."
What do you think of Mrs. Cadwaller’s suggestion, and of Dorothea’s certainty she will not marry again? What do you think of James’ opinion about second marriages? Do you feel that this is a reflection of the St. Theresa motif that Eliot brought up in the Prelude?
4) Chapter 56 has a humorous discussion of what will happen when the railroad tracks are laid and the railroad comes.
Did this scene cause you to contemplate how much of an impact this was to Middlemarch and to society in general?
5) Later in Chapter 56, Mr. and Mrs. Garth discuss Fred and his decision to give up the clergyhood (is that the word?) for Mary.
What did you think of their exchange, and do you think that Mr. Garth made the right decision?
6) In a particularly sad episode, in Chapter 58 we learn that Rosamond’s baby arrived too early. Blame is placed squarely upon her decision to go riding with Lydgate’s richer and titled cousin.
What did you think of this blame, and of her actions with Lydgate’s cousin?
7) Lydgate tells Rosamond of their financial situation later in the same chapter. What did you think of Rosamond’s reaction to his disclosure?
8) Chapter 59 opens: "NEWS is often dispersed as thoughtlessly and effectively as that pollen which the bees carry off (having no idea how powdery they are) when they are buzzing in search of their particular nectar. This fine comparison has reference to Fred Vincy, who on that evening at Lowick Parsonage heard a lively discussion among the ladies on the news which their old servant had got from Tantripp concerning Mr Casaubon's strange mention of Mr Ladislaw in a codicil to his will made not long before his death."
What did you think of the comparison between bees distributing pollen and the distribution of news in Middlemarch? What do you also think about Fred and the others in the town and their thoughts on the codicil?
9)In Chapter 61 we get more backstory of Bulstrode and his secret. What did you think of it, and his relationship to Ladislaw?
10) Anything I’ve missed?
6 Comments:
Sorry to be completely off topic - I hope your son had a wonderful birthday. I too went out and ate fish :)
I'm so glad you did, and that you had a Happy Birthday! It is so neat you share with my son.
Yes, he had a very wonderful birthday.
1) Firstly, I laughed out loud at James’ comment about a baby like Causabon, tee hee.
I think that staying with Celia and James has been good for Dorothea (although I admit I kept envisioning them living really far apart, every time the book would mention that they’d just pop over, I’d have to readjust my mental image), I think that she knew that she needed to be back at home and in charge. Celia had two reasons, I think – one to take care of Dorothea like “Dodo” took care of her when they were children, and the other because she can’t imagine anyone not being as enamored with the baby’s perfection and she assumes she wants to stay with the baby.
2) This scene was amazing – I love the line “I could not submit my soul to yours” – wow. What a statement about who Casaubon was and what their marriage was.
3) I think that Dorothea’s statement was a rash statement (it reminds me of in Emma when Emma declares she’ll never marry) but I also think that marrying to get out of the need to wear mourning is a harebrained idea, and I think that it shows Mrs. Cadwaller’s flightiness that she gets caught up in this idea.
I am perplexed at James’ attitude towards Dorothea’s remarrying, though, and I’m not sure if it is lingering jealousy that she didn’t choose him (although I would argue that he married well), or if it is his idea of being the caretaker of Dorothea, or what. I am not quite sure, but slightly intrigued by the idea, that it is related to the St. Theresa motif.
4) I think that we, even those of us who have lived through the email revolution, forget at how amazingly transformative the railroads were for England (and also for the US). I thought that it was a good reminder to read this. I did giggle at some of the ideas about the railroad, though, as I think you wer supposed to.
5) I think that Fred made the right decision, and I think that Mr. and Mrs. Garth were wise to realize that he and Mary are a good couple.
6) I was livid that the blame was placed on Rosamond for the miscarriage/stillbirth, and forget how pervasive that idea was at the time, and even into the mid-part of the 20th century. But, having said that, I do think that Rosamond was showing her true colors by her insistence at riding with Lydgate’s cousin, and her desire to portray herself as rich, charming, and uppercrust.
7) Arggggg, Rosamond. She hasn’t a brain in her silly little head during this exchange. Not that I absolve Lydgate of all blame, but she has such a refusal to see the financial situation, reign in her spending, and to take proper action to alleviate their financial woes. Her solution only adds to the problem, alas.
8) Having grown up in a small town, and having heard Presbytera Jeannie Constantinou talk about small towns in the Middle East and Europe, this just cracked me up. I also could see why the codicil was such a topic of discussion, because it was certainly unusual, and others could see how unhappy the Casaubons’ marriage was.
9) While there were subtexts that I am sure went over my head about Bulstrode’s dishonesty, the basic setup was interesting, and certainly showed his true character.
Wearing mourning for a year seems like a sensible thing to do. It is too bad that tradition has gone by the wayside. Are you old enough to remember pulling over to the side of the raod to let a funeral procession pass? I haven't seen it done since I was a little boy. I think we don't take death seriously enough anymore.
1) Celia feels sorry for Dorothea, is worried about her, and thinks surely she will be lonely at home. I think Dorothea feels ready to get on with her life and a little stifled by life with Celia, Sir James and the baby, so she's right to go home.
2) I thought this was so, so sad. She married with such optimism, but she recognized the death of her husband as an escape for her, and she felt really guilty about it. I really identified with the part about the internal conversation--I do this sometimes to help myself think things through.
3) I was struck that this is a very Orthodox way of thinking. (although it's not clear if he feels the same way about men remarrying) I just can't guess if I think Dorothea will remary or not. I think if it is a reflection of the St. Theresa motif, then she probably won't, but then again,
4) It made me think about how short-sighted we can be, and how it's so difficult for us to imagine how things may transform our lives.
5)I don't know if it's the right decision, but it's very kind of him, and totally in his character. Hopefully it will work out well for them all.
6 & 7) Both of these episodes seem to me to illustrate how self-absorbed Rosamund is. She's such an unsympathetic character. My sadness about the baby is much more for Lydgate than for her.
8) What an interesting metaphor this is, but the place where it falls apart for me is that bees do a lot of good by spreading the pollen, even if they are doing it unwittingly. However, thoughtlessly spreading information like this can be really harmful.
9)I found the relationships in this to be so complicated! So Bulstrode's wife was Ladislaw's grandmother and Casaubon's aunt? Man, Casaubon would have loved that!
To Matt--it's still pretty common in the Midwest for people to pull over for funeral processions. Especially away from large cities. I seem to recall that being my experience in Texas as well.
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