Making Sense of Middlemarch

Regular followers of The Reader Organisation will know that we are huge fans of George Eliot's Middlemarch, especially Jane who has included it as one of her 100 'Books to Maketh a Woman'.

We're not the only ones who believe that this great novel is a must-read: the blog dovegreyreader scribbles has a dedicated 'Team Middlemarch'  who are in the process of reading and discussing each of the books over a year, the length of time it took to publish the original eight-part serialisation. Her latest post, Book Six, discusses the complexities of Eliot's writing and her adept manipulation of the reader's loyalties towards the characters, preventing us making any simple black-and-white judgements by presenting a reality which is far more complex.

The post particularly praises The Connell Guide to George Eliot's Middlemarch, written by Josie Billington, a member of the core research team at the Centre for Research into Reading, Information and Linguistic Systems (CRILS) and a long-term partner of The Reader Organisation. Dovegreyreader thanks Josie for reviving her spirits at a difficult point in the novel and asking seemingly simple questions - Why so many stories? - yet providing thoughtful answers of considerable depth, accessible to the general reader.

Should you like to join them, Team Middlemarch will be discussing Book Seven on 19th-20th January.

Both dovegreyreader and the work of CRILS feature in the latest issue of The Reader magazine, Issue 48. Keep an eye on the blog over the next few days to find out how to get your copy!