Middlemarch

Consider The Key to All Mythologies and the role of knowledge more generally in the novel. What forms does knowledge take in the lives of the characters (e.g. social knowledge, intellectual knowledge, professional knowledge)? How does knowledge relate to some of the novel’s key thematic concerns?

The novel’s characters have widely different experiences with the world of work. What role does work and/or work ethic play in forming and revealing characterization?

What role does religion play in Middlemarch? Analyze the different forms of faith, religious hypocrisy, and/or Christian morality as experienced or demonstrated by the characters.

How is social class and social mobility depicted in the novel? What factors shape social class and reputation? In what ways do characters gain or lose social mobility, and why?

Compare and contrast Dorothea and Lydgate. What role does idealism play in their characterization and personal character arcs? Do they manage to maintain their idealism by the novel’s end? Why or why not?

Analyze poverty and wealth in the novel. How does money advance the plot, shape characterization, and/or relate to some of the novel’s key themes?

What role does gossip play in the town of Middlemarch? How does it shape public opinion? What is the relationship between gossip and reputation?

Secrets and misunderstandings are rife in the novel. How do both of these elements function in Middlemarch? Why are secrets dangerous in small-town life? How do they shape reputation and communication more generally?