George Eliot Book Club: "Middlemarch"

George Eliot's 1871 novel Middlemarch uses marriage as a lens through which to look at reality. 

It's all about who chooses whom, and why, and how it works out for them. It has no interest in weddings or births or other extraordinary days; it's only interested in day-to-day life, and the inner dynamics of human pairings.

Plus... People with secrets and vices? Check. Surprising revelations in a dead man's will? Check. The madness of small-town rumor? Check. A cunning and clever plot? Check. Insights about human behavior? Galore. 

It's a novel that's worth the hype. It's a book everyone should read — a bucket-list kind of book. 

Each week, you will hear stories about the life of the author, learn insights about the text, hear how other famous writers and thinkers have responded to the novel over the century-and-a-half since it was published.

You will also have the opportunity to share your thoughts and reactions with everyone else in this club — a bunch of other people who are on the same page as you. At nearly 800 pages, and with a large cast of characters — residents of a fictional silk-manufacturing town called Middlemarch — it can be a hard to finish on your own. But this club is thoughtfully designed to make it achievable, accessible, and fun.

Whether you're reading it for the first time or you're re-reading it because it's a favorite, our reading schedule of 50 pages a week will keep you on track and allow you time to aborb its detailed brilliance.

Can I join in installments? 

Yes. We've divvied up the club into three installments if you'd prefer to try it out and pay as you go. Scroll down to find those tickets.

Are meetings recorded?

Yes. Meetings are recorded and automatically sent out to everyone who's signed up, using the email you provide when you purchase your ticket. Recordings are sent within 48 hours of meetings concluding.

How many pages do I read before the first meeting?

None. You do not need to read anything before the first meeting. Come ready to learn about the author's life. We will also take a look at the Prologue together, and share our observations about it.

Which edition of the book should I get?

This one. Use that link and you will be supporting FrizzLit in the process! Or support a local bookstore near you. Or get it from the library. But, again, if you want to have the same page numbers as everyone else during discussions, get this one. 

Who is leading this book club?

Christopher Frizzelle is the host of the Silent Reading Party and the former editor-in-chief of The Stranger. His Substack is here. He described creating these book clubs in a piece for the Washington Post.

Is this a class or a club?

It's both, as well as a seminar — and truly, it's whatever participants make of it. The magic of these FrizzLit book clubs is that it's all things wrapped into one.

Is financial assistance available?

Yes. If you would like to join but price is a barrier, sponsorship funds are available to help make it possible. Please apply here.

Thank you for donating

If you choose to pay extra: Thank you for making this club accessible to people who would not be able to afford it otherwise.

Art

Splendidly illustrated by Kathryn Rathke