Tips for Reading Middlemarch - Better Book Clubs
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- I’m an author and a college writing professor. Based on my visits with more than two dozen book clubs, I’ll bring you and your book group fresh, new ideas on topics important to you, such as how to lead better discussions, enjoy your reading, get the most out of your meetings, get started with the classics, and more. Subscribe here!
And Join me on Substack: betterbookclubs.substack.com/
Pleasantly surprised when I read the line, "...he was the son and heir, of nothing in particular." That is when I learned that Morrissey reads classics. Love Eliot and The Smiths.
Keats and Yeats are on your side
While Wilde is on mine
I love Middlemarch by George Eliot: it made me fall in love with classics 💛
Oh if I could only find a book club that reads books like Middlemarch....Great video by the way, loving this book.
Check out Goodreads. Classics and the Western Canon is an active group that sometimes reads in the Middlemarch vein, but there are plenty of other book clubs there, too!
There are other similar book review
video channels,.mostly in English,
others in Spanish,.etc.
I'm a college junior studying Middlemarch now and this video has been super helpful!
Thank you so much for this! We’re starting this book in a few days and we’ll spend two months with it. Super excited for this one
That's great! I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!
I am just starting Middlemarch and stumbled upon this video. Thank you for this very sane introduction.
I’m to chapter 12 and I’m loving it! I really like Fred. I hope he doesn’t do anything to make me change my mind!
Best to you.
Aw, Fred! ☺Glad the video was helpful!
Thank you, that was really helpful :)
Thank you! Thank you very much for the friendly tips and for the added inspiration to read this great book (Appreciate also that there are no "spoilers"!) 😊
You're welcome! I hope you will give it a try!
I’m just arriving at the transition from Miss Brooke to the Lydgate story. I appreciate finding your video at this point in my read.
Thanks, John! Hope you enjoyed the rest of the novel!
One of my favourite novels. I’ve read it twice, thoroughly enjoyed it both times.
Me too!
Thanks Kathy for your enthusiastic introduction to the book and how to read it. Just started it - grappling with the language and sentence structure...
Nicola Baker if you’re still struggling you could try reading along with an audio version at the same time :)
@@judegrindvoll8467 Excellent advice! Nicola, I hope you enjoyed your read and got through!
@@judegrindvoll8467 Oh I was planning to do exactly that!
Except my reasons were different. I am a non native and I was thinking that reading along with audiobooks would be helpful!
Thank you for your no spoiler video, I'm reading chapter 11, book 1 and now i have the encouragement i needed :)
You're welcome! And you're making me think maybe I should "advertise" them as spoiler-free. I just want to help people read and appreciate the books on their own, not tell them what happens and what to think. ;)
You should, as there will be more people like me looking to get a wide idea but without getting too deep into details, it worked perfect for me. honestly it was great, and your delivery was good 4 years ago, I'm sure your new videos are even better. Best of lucks!
@@trendingtrash1170 Thanks for the compliment!
That was the best discussion of Middlemarch I have ever heard.
Thanks, Anne!
I absolutely love your videos.
Thanks!
Great video
Thank you so much.
"Read on" as the words escalate and mount up and up exploring the archaeological underpinnings of people,""ham bolela, tum bolena".
I confess I was attracted to Middlemarsh because of its psychological descriptions of the characters and yes the words and more words the way the sentences are arranged and the courtesy of language.
I agree--the psychological dimensions are part of what makes this novel so great!
Thank you,that helps me a lot💓💓
I'm so glad! You're welcome. :)
That was helpful. Middlemarch is complex.
A quotation which I have never forgotten: " A woman's choice always means the only man she can get."
Thank You
Thank you for this! So helpful. Reading Middlemarch for fun and not with a bookclub, so was a bit daunted, but this has been very encouraging :)
I'm so glad! Thanks for the comment.
Great review. I've got to get the Oxford edition!
It's a good one!
I believe that Jane Austen, herself, said that she could never write a Romance! If her books are reduced to mere love stories and stories about courtship we do ourselves a great disservice by missing the point totally.
Fair enough! I haven't done any Austen videos yet because so many others have, but I would love to hear your take on Austen.
@@BetterBookClubs Yes, Jane Austen s books were ANYTHING but mere love stories.. that was a big mistake to say..
Okay: page 1. I’m going in! 👍
You got this! 😀
Wonderful Channel! Immediately Subscribed
Just a recommendation: Do a War And Peace Read Along or any read along for that matter!
I've never read War and Peace, but I do have an Anna Karenina video coming in the next few episodes. Waiting for a few more subscribers before we do a read-along, but that is definitely a future possibility!
@@BetterBookClubs Definitely! I just said W&P 'cause I was about to start it
(Actually I have started it in PDF the book is yet to arrive by Amazon and so far (chapter 8) it's great! Do read it one day!)
@@BetterBookClubs oh dear kathy, do read W and Peace... one of the best ever books that have existed... in all aspects. Also keep up the good work in your channel.!
@@felicegreece We're currently doing a read-along of Vanity Fair, but W&P is on our list for the future!
Read Middlemarch in three days forty years ago for university-got it done but always felt annoyed by Dorothea and her decision to marry pasty Mr. Causaban.I just started listening to the audio version which is wonderful because there are a lot of nuances that I didn’t get when I just restarted the novel. I’m only in chapter three but I’ve overcome my dislike of Dorothea. I realize now that what choices did she have.. she was very smart and she wants to marry who she feels will enlighten her. Long way to go in this reading but much more sympathetic to her decisions. Very much enjoyed your introduction to this book. Even though I spent two years reading and loving the chunksters,that was forty years ago and it takes time to get back into the groove again. Time and patience.
Three days! My goodness. I'm so glad you're enjoying the nuances this time around. Dorothea is one of my favorite characters in literature. Happy reading!
I just stumbled on your channel and was thrilled. However, it appears you stopped it over a year ago and this is so disappointing. Most other channels that address reading the classics are by young women who talk very fast in high pitched voices and often fail to capture the essence of the book itself. I sincerely hope you'll continue on at some point.
Thanks, Michelle! I took on a new job and had to put my videos on pause. But I do hope to add some more, possibly this summer!
Hi, Michelle. Just letting you know I'm back! Hope you'll visit again.
Good novel l read in English language
Middlemarch and War and Peace are the only two books that required me to make a character list.
I've never gotten around to War and Peace, but no doubt I'd have to make a list for that one, too!
Thank you! Which edition are you using/do you recommend!?
This is the Oxford World's Classics edition. I like the Oxford editions because (like some other scholarly editions) they come with introductory material, and this edition also includes endnotes. If you don't go with Oxford, Norton is another good choice, in general. You can also trust editions published by university presses. I would avoid any edition that's packaged for beauty over content. It's possible you'll get an imperfect text, and you certainly won't get all the bells and whistles.
@@BetterBookClubs Thank you!
I'm trying to understand what the "count to three" line in the Prelude means. Can anybody help me?
Hi, Swati. I think Eliot's point here is that women are underestimated. "Count to three" is a pretty low bar. This Prelude is pretty convoluted, but it sets up the chapter on Dorothea Brooke. I hope that's helpful!
Excellent video, but I'd suggest changing your recording space to one with better acoustics.
Thanks, David. This one is several years old! I've upgraded some equipment since then. One bit at a time... I hope you'll check out some of my newer videos. :)
Our school has given only one month to read but this book would take a year for me to read. Can you give me tips to read fast
Grace Grace it’s probably too late for Middlemarch, but I find getting an audio version alongside it helps. This will tell you haw many hours it actually takes (I think MM is about 40 hours). Then you can create a schedule that works for you - so ten hours per week and schedule it in a way that suits you. Also, having a narrator actually reading it on audio genuinely gets you through much quicker :)
@@judegrindvoll8467 Thank you so much
Grace Grace you’re welcome - I hope it helps for future times :) it’s a great strategy when you really dislike a book too!
There are shorter summaries in
1) video channels
1A) novel reviews/analyses
1B) film + TV series reviews
2) books (+ websites +/or videos)
2A) giant continuing series of books like updated encyclopedias---+ summary
analyses of novelists +/or novels
These are in some public +/or university
libraries.
2B) Pamphlet size novel summaries
in US by famous publishers like (still?)
Cliff Notes + others,.in
libraries
bookstores like Barnes + Noble.
Several of above give summaries of
characters
plots
themes
moods
worldview of novelist
style of novel
influences on given novel
general art trends
novels trends
political.trends
religion trends
philosophy trends
physical science trends
etc., etc., etc.
Good luck !!!
I’m reading this to impress a cute girl so. Wish me luck haha
That's quite a commitment!
it would be better if you provide the list of ideas in the contents list.
Good idea!
Struggled through it.
Admittedly, it's not for everyone. Sorry to hear it was a struggle!