George Eliot's Middlemarch

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This book offers a "postmodern" reading of a characteristically "modern" text. Whereas previous readings of "Middlemarch" have emphasized its unity and coherence, Dr Wright notices its tensions and contradictions, bringing out the play of voices to be found in the narrative. He provides a double reading, alert both to Eliot's liberal humanist project and to the difficulties that project can be shown to entail. "Middlemarch", according to this reading, is a novel about interpretation, exploring ways in which we "read" each other and the world. It questions the construction of character, the meaning of history and the death of God. It also confronts the restricted role of women in a patriarchal society and the process of change - if and how reform can be achieved.