Middlemarch (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Book Overview: Middlemarch (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

George Eliot’s beloved masterpiece in a Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition with a foreword by Rebecca Mead, author of the bestselling memoir My Life in Middlemarch

A triumph of realist fiction, George Eliot’s Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life explores a fictional nineteenth-century Midlands town in the midst of sweeping change. The proposed Reform Bill, the new railroads, and scientific advances are threatening upheaval on every front. Against this backdrop, the quiet drama of ordinary lives is played out by the novel’s complexly portrayed characters–until the arrival of two outsiders further disrupts the town’s equilibrium. Every bit as powerful and perceptive in our time as it was in the Victorian era, Middlemarch displays George Eliot’s clear-eyed yet humane understanding of characters caught up in the mysterious unfolding of self-knowledge.

In this elegant Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition, Rebecca Mead introduces the novel that shaped her life and reflects on its joys and its timeless relevance.

For more than sixty-five years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,500 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

ISBN-13	9780143107729
ISBN-10	0143107720
Publisher	Penguin Classics
Publication Date	2015
Edition	N/a
Language	en
Pages	800
Dimensions	in x in x in
Weight	lbs

Editorial Reviews

“Middlemarch, the magnificent book which with all its imperfections is one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.”
–Virginia Woolf

“The most profound, wise and absorbing of English novels . . . and, above all, truthful and forgiving about human behaviour.”
–Hermione Lee

“No Victorian novel approaches Middlemarch in its width of reference, its intellectual power, or the imperturbable spaciousness of its narrative…I doubt if any Victorian novelist has as much to teach the modern novelists as George Eliot…No writer has ever represented the ambiguities of moral choice so fully”.
–V. S. Pritchett

“Middlemarch is probably the greatest English novel.”
–Julian Barnes

“It is possible to argue that Middlemarch is the greatest English novel.”
–A. S. Byatt

“Certainly the greatest [English] novel.”
–Martin Amis

About the Author

George Eliot

George Eliot, renowned as one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, was a notable British author known for her intricate novels exploring the meshwork of human relationships and social issues of her time. Born as Mary Ann Evans on November 22, 1819, in rural England, she translated her close observations of rural life and society into compelling narratives. Eliot’s unconventional personal life and her profound understanding of human nature added depth to her literary works, making her a vital part of English literature.

Eliot initially gained acclaim for her work as a translator and as an editor for the left-wing journal, The Westminster Review. However, it was her decision to write novels under a male pseudonym that made a significant impact. Her first novel, ‘Adam Bede,’ published in 1859, received widespread recognition, followed by other remarkable works, including ‘The Mill on the Floss,’ ‘Silas Marner,’ and ‘Middlemarch,’ which are praised for their realism and psychological insight.

George Eliot’s writing style was characterized by her innovative narrative technique and highly detailed descriptions, making her celebrated as a prominent realist writer. Her ability to depict the innermost thoughts and motivations of her characters, paired with her scrutiny of social norms, challenges her readers intellectually and emotionally. Eliot passed away on December 22, 1880, but her influential role in the literary world endures, making her timeless works continue to be the subject of intense study and discussion.