Middlemarch

Synopsis

Middlemarch written by George Eliot, a leading English novelist of the Victorian era is described by Martin Amis as "The greatest novel" in the English language. The novel narrates the lives of four couples with didactic tone and is based on many subjects such as marriage, self-interest, idealism, hypocrisy, religion, and education.
 
Dorothea Brooke who likes to lead a simple life and help the local poor people marries much elder person Edward Casaubon being attracted towards his pretended intellectuality. The marriage is leads to unhappy relationship, as Casaubon believes his wife is lured by gossips about him through his cousin Will Ladislaw. Casaubon suspecting the relationship might break and Dorothea might marry Ladislaw. He went on to change his will stating Dorothea cannot inherit his properties after his death, if she marries Ladislaw.

Teritus Lydgate, a doctor finds his happiness in treating the poor and soon falls into huge debt. He borrows huge money from Bulstrode, which makes others to suspect as bribe. This incident creates break in the relationship between Lydgate and his fiancée Rosamond Vincy, however resolved by the intervention of Dorothea.

Childhood friends Mary Garth and Fred Vincy love each other and Fred proposes for marriage. However Mary Garth does not accept him as he is unfortunate to goes through endless failures in his quest for survival. Mary Garth accepts his marriage proposal, only after he settles down in his life when his tireless try ending in inheritance of his property.

Later Dorothea learns Casaubon’s will which forbid her from marrying Will Ladislaw. However it made a negative effect on Casaubon‘s thoughts, and much against his expectations Dorothea marries Ladislaw, rejecting the inheritable properties of her ex-husband.

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