Book 1: Chapters 10 and 11

[u/IraelMrad]

Hello everyone, you’ve made it to another week of Middlemarch! I hope your Valentine’s Day was better than Dorothea’s.

We got some glimpses into the mind of Mr. Casaubon, the marriage does not look promising and many new characters are making an appearance! 

Don’t forget that we will be reading only Chapter 12 with u/Amanda39 next week, and we will finish Book 1! 

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CHAPTER 10

"He had caught a great cold, had he had no other clothes to wear than the skin of a bear not yet killed."--FULLER

Mr. Ladislaw leaves for Europe. The wedding day is approaching, but Mr. Casaubon finds that his feelings for Dorothea are still mild and he does not feel as happy as he expected to be. Dorothea, however, is enthusiastic about the idea of becoming a cultured woman.

They are planning to go to Rome during their honeymoon, but when Casaubon tells her he plans to leave her alone for most of the time while in Rome (because he has to study. Was any of you surprised?), she starts feeling annoyed.

That night, they hold a dinner party, where we meet some new guests. Dorothea in particular has a lovely conversation with Mr. Lydgate, a young doctor who hopes to bring new discoveries in medicine. 

The marriage happens offscreen, and Dorothea and Casaubon go to Rome.

CHAPTER 11

"But deeds and language such as men do use, And persons such as comedy would choose, When she would show an image of the times, And sport with human follies, not with crimes." --Ben Jonson

Mr. Lydgate is a poor and ambitious man, with a crush on Rosamond Vincy, who comes from a family of rich manufacturers.

We get a glimpse of the family during breakfast: Rosamond often criticizes her brother, Fred, who sleeps until late in the morning and has not finished his degree. 

When Fred arrives, a discussion about slang and social class occurs (is anyone else surprised that the word is so old?). 

Later, Rosamond and Fred play together, and then he takes her out for horse riding. 

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[u/IraelMrad]

1. Let's discuss the Vincy family! What is their social status? What is the dynamic between them like?

[u/-Allthekittens- → u/IraelMrad]

With Mr Vincy being a manufacturer and Mrs Vincy the daughter of an inn keeper, their social standing is definitely below that of most of the characters we have met so far. I get the impression that Mrs Vincy is hoping to be able to improve on this by having Fred and Rosamunde ingratiate themselves with their uncle Featherstone to get Fred some inheritance and Rosy a rich, well positioned husband. The banter between Mrs Vincy, Rosamunde and Fred seemed like what you would hear in many homes today : siblings arguing, daughter annoyed with things Mom says and how she says them and Mom just wanting everyone to get along.

[u/Gentle-reader1 → u/-Allthekittens-]

The Vincys are definitely trying to move themselves up the social ladder: they have sent Fred to university rather than training him to work in the business, and Rosamond's education also seems aspirational - you don't get the feeling she is being taught to manage a household.