Middlemarch book club questions
by George Eliot · a kit for three meetings · 15 questions · printable
Fifteen discussion questions for Middlemarch, grouped by three stretches of the book of about the same length, with a reading plan, themes to talk about and a sheet you can print. Two good openers: how much should Celia's doubts matter when Dorothea chooses a husband? And what does dividing their mother's jewels suggest about the tension between principles and pleasure?
The reading plan
Meeting 1
Prelude to Chapter 28
About 6 h 52 min to read
Meeting 2
Chapters 29 to 55
About 6 h 49 min to read
Meeting 3
Chapter 56 to Finale
About 7 h 12 min to read
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Meeting 1: Prelude to Chapter 28
- How much should Celia's doubts matter when Dorothea chooses a husband?
- What does dividing their mother's jewels suggest about the tension between principles and pleasure?
- When Dorothea's studies are framed as service, how much room remains for her own ambitions?
- How should Mr. Lydgate weigh friendship against medical ambition when choosing the Infirmary's chaplain?
- What might explain Mr. Casaubon's anger when Dorothea asks to help with his scholarly work?
Meeting 2: Chapters 29 to 55
- What does Mr. Lydgate's view of marriage as support for scientific work leave out?
- How should Dorothea balance compassion for Mr. Casaubon with resentment of his suspicions?
- What makes Dorothea's unanswered promise troubling: the demand for obedience, her uncertainty, or both?
- Does Mr. Farebrother's decision to speak for Fred Vincy seem generous, self-denying, or both?
- What do you expect Dorothea's choice of useful work over marriage to make possible?
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Meeting 3: Chapter 56 to Finale
- How much weight should family pride carry when Fred Vincy chooses practical work with Caleb?
- What might justify Rosamond's secret resistance to household cuts, and what makes it unfair?
- How responsible is Mr. Lydgate for suppressing troubling questions when he accepts financial rescue?
- Where would you draw the line between Harriet's loyalty and excusing her husband's conduct?
- What changes when Dorothea turns her own pain into renewed concern for Rosamond?
Themes to talk about
Tips for the host
- Open each meeting with one question everyone can answer, then go deeper.
- Anyone who fell behind can catch up with the 15-minute summary.
Free for 3 months
Get the full summary of Middlemarch, free
- 200,000+ classics as eBooks, audiobooks and 15-minute summaries, and print and large print at cost
- Up to 5 readers in your home on one plan
15-minute summaries today, eBooks and audiobooks as each book opens, and printed books, large print included, at cost.
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