English Literature books summary

Middlemarch, because he needs to help Mr. Brooke get ready for the coming

election. Mr. Brooke is running for the Independent party, and needs Will's

help if he is able to have a chance.

However, Mr. Brooke's main speech goes terribly; he is mocked and

egged, hung in effigy, and is disgusted so much by the whole thing that he

quits the election. He also decides to quit the paper too, and urges Will

to do the same. However, Will has been thinking on his future; he will

become a political writer, raise himself up, if he knows that Dorothea

would marry him after he achieved these things. He decides to seek some

sign from her, and in the meantime, stay at the paper. He has some idea

that Mr. Brooke and others are trying to get rid of him for Dorothea's

sake, but will not go unless she doesn't care for him.

Chapter 52:

Farebrother finds out that Dorothea has given him the living at

Lowick; he is glad since this will increase his income, and give him more

freedom in his living. His sister will now be allowed to marry, as they can

afford a dowry, and Farebrother too can afford to have a wife. However, the

only woman he wants to marry is Mary Garth; and Fred in newly back from

finishing college, and wants nothing more than for Mary to love him.

Farebrother, as Fred's confidant in this situation, does a very good job of

being impartial, giving fair advice without the prejudice of his own heart.

However, it pains Farebrother that the only woman he would like to marry is

marked for someone else, who is less stable and responsible than he.

Fred thinks that he might have to go into the clergy, since he can

think of no other profession to join. However, he knows that Mary is

against this; so, he recruits Farebrother to go and speak to her about all

of this, so that he might know what he should do. Farebrother does, and

speaks to her plainly, and fairly; Mary says that it would be wrong of Fred

to be in the clergy, but she would marry him if he found another stable

profession. Mary says that she will remain single for Fred, and loves only

him; Farebrother's hopes are finally dashed, of which Mary is sorry, though

she has told the truth of her heart.

Chapter 53:

Stone Court has finally been transferred to Bulstrode, Rigg having

relieved himself of the estate and grounds. Bulstrode is not pleased that

Farebrother, rather than Tyke, is the new preacher at Lowick, but can do

nothing about it. Rigg's fate is not at Middlemarch, and so he departs with

little ceremony. Raffles comes to Stone Court, looking for Bulstrode, an

old acquaintance; he found out that Bulstrode took his stepson Rigg's place

at Stone court by the crumpled paper he took, and so has sought Bulstrode

out there. Bulstrode is displeased to see Raffles, and doesn't want anyone

to know that he is there, or the real purpose why.

It seems that Bulstrode and Raffles had some shady dealings a while

back, that Bulstrode does not want discovered. Bulstrode's family

connections are questionable as well, as Raffles knows; Raffles takes

advantage and asks Bulstrode for money, on threat of exposing him to

general knowledge. Bulstrode pays him off, and Raffles remembers that

Bulstrode is related to someone named Ladislaw whom he has not seen in

years‹but Raffles does not know who Will is, and also does not tell

Bulstrode.

Chapter 54:

Dorothea is tired of staying at her sister's, having nothing to do but

stare at Celia's baby, whom Celia worships, but Dorothea couldn't be more

indifferent to. She longs to get back to Lowick and set things in order;

her sister and Sir James do not believe she should go, but she is

determined to, because she can stand Celia's no longer. Others also wish

that Dorothea go to live with someone, so she should not be lonely, but she

refuses. She also refuses to finish Casaubon's work, since her interest in

it has been obliterated by his death, and before that his behavior toward

her.

Will finally does visit her, to see if she does have some affection to

encourage him with. Their meeting is heated, however, with both of them

being frustrated by not being able to admit their affection, and then their

pride clashing on the subject of their division from each other. Will

leaves, with Dorothea trying to show little emotion, especially because Sir

James is there, and disapproves of the whole relationship.

Chapter 55:

Dorothea seems more grieved at Will's departure than she was at her

husband's death‹and rightly so, for she loved Will more than she ever loved

her husband. She goes to Celia, where the company brings up the subject of

marriage; it is openly suggested that Dorothea marry again, though that is

the last thing Dorothea wishes. Dorothea decides to turn her attention

toward public projects again, and will ask Caleb Garth's help in achieving

her goals.

Chapter 56:

Mr. Garth and Dorothea prove to be natural allies on the subject of

improvements and social projects; Mr. Garth is very impressed With

Dorothea's determination and her great mind, though Mrs. Garth is more

concerned with her feminine virtues. Railroads are being built across

England, and this becomes a topic in Middlemarch as the trains grow closer.

Mr. Garth and Dorothea have nothing against them, and decide to sell an

outer part of Dorothea's land to the railroads for a good price. Some men

attack Caleb Garth and his assistant as they are doing some surveying for

the railroad; they are as afraid of the unknown as anybody, but Caleb

teaches them better.

Fred enjoys helping Caleb after his assistant is hurt; he asks Mr.

Garth if perhaps he would be able to learn his business, though Caleb Garth

believes that Fred is going to enter the clergy. Fred confides in him about

his trepidation about entering the clergy, and his love for Mary and wishes

to please her. Mr. Garth bears Fred no ill will about the debt he owes

them, nor is he upset at Fred being in love with Mary; he decides to

consult his wife about Fred becoming his helper, and about a possible match

between Fred and Mary. Caleb decides to bring Fred into the business, and

if he succeeds, then he is worthy of Mary as well. Fred tells his parents,

who are disappointed at Fred's waste of education. They also lament

Rosamond's marriage, which is seeming less attractive as Lydgate gets into

more and more debt.

Chapter 57:

Fred has gone to the Garths, to consult them about his change in

situation, and also to see if his wishes that Mary marry him are accepted

by the family, and Mary as well. However, Mrs. Garth is still not assured

of Fred's worth, and his character; yes, he means well, but he has never

held a stable job or proven himself to be responsible. Mrs. Garth is still

angry at Fred for the issue of his debt; but she cannot tell him directly,

so she admonishes him for being unfeeling of others, and of having no

regard for Farebrother's feelings for Mary too. Fred then thinks that it is

very possible that Mary prefers Farebrother to him, and that Mary will

become engaged to him; when Fred tells Mary this, Mary gets very upset at

him. Mary thinks the allegation unfair, and scolds Fred for his jealousy;

but, as many unpleasing qualities as Fred has, she cannot help but love

him, and still plans to be married to Fred.

Chapter 58:

She and Lydgate get a visit from his cousin, Captain Lydgate, which

thrills Rosamond; Lydgate thinks his cousin foppish and stupid, and would

rather him leave. Rosamond gets a little upset with Lydgate on this issue,

though Lydgate insists he is not the only one who dislikes his cousin.

Rosamond's baby is born premature because of an accident on a horse, and

dies soon after; she would not have been riding if she had listened to her

husband's advice, but stubbornly refused to listen to him. Lydgate is also

troubled by his growing debt, especially since it was incurred buying

things which he, though perhaps not Rosamond, could have done without.

Lydgate finally has to put up the furniture of the house as security

against his debt; he tries to speak to Rosamond about keeping expenses down

and buying less expensive things, but he is too soft-hearted to really tell

her anything. Rosamond proves to be very silly and naive, and even thinks

to herself that she would not have married Lydgate if she knew he was to

have little money, and that she could not have lived as she was used to.

Rosamond decides to go and ask her father for money, against Lydgate's

wishes; Lydgate is saddened that this issue will come up again and again,

and he will have to struggle to keep Rosamond from wasting too much money.

Chapter 59:

Gossip has gone around the neighborhood about the codicil in

Casaubon's will; Fred finds out about it from the Farebrothers, and then

proceeds to tell his sister. Rosamond is profoundly silly, and decides,

unwisely, to tease Will about knowing something he doesn't, then make a

joke of it all. Will grasps what she means to say, and gets the truth out

of her; Rosamond still tries to spin the whole thing in lighthearted way,

but Will is very upset, and perhaps understands more about Dorothea's

behavior.

Chapter 60:

Mr. Larcher, one of the wealthiest people in Middlemarch, is

auctioning off some furniture he does not need before he moves into a new,

bigger, furnished home. The event is like a carnival, with everyone in

Middlemarch in attendance; there is plenty of food and drink, drink

especially so that people might make higher bids for things. Not everybody

buys things, but everyone is there for this social, outdoor occasion

anyway. Will is asked by Mr. Bulstrode to go and acquire a particular

painting for him; Will goes, though he is determined to leave the town

soon. Still, Will does not want to leave without seeing Dorothea again, so

his departure will have to wait on that.

A good many things are sold before the particular painting comes up;

Will bids for the painting, and gets it for the Bulstrodes for a decent bit

of money. Mr. Raffles turns up there, having found Will Ladislaw by

inquiring somehow; Will is a bit put-off by him, and Mr. Raffles starts

speaking of Will's family. Will cannot tell what Raffles' intentions are,

so he gets away, and tries to forget about him; but it seems that Raffles

has some less-than-desirable stories to tell about Will's family, which

gives Will even more of a reason to leave, before stories like those could

besmirch his name even more.

Chapter 61:

Sure enough, Raffles has been back to Bulstrode's home, and refuses to

go away until Bulstrode sees him. Raffles finds Bulstrode at the bank, as

he tells his wife; but he is afraid to tell his wife much, lest she lose

her confidence in him. It is revealed that Bulstrode married Will's

maternal grandmother, after hiding from her that her daughter, Will's

mother, was alive and had a son that the grandmother's riches were supposed

to go to. However, Bulstrode prevented this from happening, for his own

sake; and when the woman died, Bulstrode was left with the entire fortune,

and Will and his mother with none. Bulstrode was also involved in various

questionable trades, and these are the things that could destroy his

reputation in Middlemarch. Bulstrode decides that he must do something to

satisfy fate, and slow his own demise; he decides to speak to Will

Ladislaw, and perhaps set things straight with him.

Will, however, is still unsettled by being approached by Raffles. He

is shocked to discover the tenuous relation between Bulstrode and himself,

and even more shocked when Bulstrode goes on to claim that he wants to be

generous toward Will. Bulstrode tries to make it sound as if he is doing

something out of generosity and his natural goodness, though it is more out

of guilt and the thought that this good deed might save him. However, Will

knows that Bulstrode made his money in a dishonest way, and is too proud to

accept money from him, especially since that money is tainted by

Bulstrode's wrongs. Bulstrode is saddened by the judgment on him, but is

aware that Will won't tell anyone.

Chapter 62:

Will sends a letter to Dorothea, saying that he cannot leave

Middlemarch until he has seen her again. He already declared that he was

leaving two months before, which is a point of suspicion with Sir James,

who guards Dorothea jealously. Dorothea, however, is out when the letter

comes, preparing for Mr. Brooke to come back to the Grange. She goes to

Freshitt, to speak to her sister and Sir James, and Sir James tries to take

the opportunity to dissuade Dorothea from seeing Will again. He and Mrs.

Cadwallader make a few unkind remarks about Will, which makes Dorothea

angry, and she goes home to find Will there, looking for some sketches he

had left.

Will tells Dorothea that he knows about Casaubon's will, and Dorothea

tries to reassure him that it had nothing to do with her wishes. Will gets

angry at her about the whole thing, and says that everything prevents him

from being with her. Dorothea realizes that he has acted honorably in every

possible way, and is glad for this; but still, she is unable to show any

signs that she loves Will, and he goes without this assurance.

Chapter 63:

Farebrother notices some talk of Lydgate's practice declining, how his

expenses much be more than he can really afford, and how he shouldn't have

married a girl of such fine tastes. Farebrother really makes nothing of

this talk, until he sees Lydgate again, and notices how nervous and strange

his friend is acting. All are invited to a dinner party at the Vincys, and

there seems to be some strain in Lydgate and Rosamond's marriage; she tries

her best to ignore him, and they are not speaking at all. Even Rosamond's

father is avoiding Lydgate. Farebrother, Fred, and Mary are all there,

which means that Fred is worried about Mary liking Farebrother; Mrs. Vincy

hopes that Farebrother and Mary will become engaged, because she doesn't

want such a plain girl as a daughter-in-law.

Chapter 64:

Lydgate's money situation is certainly not getting any better, and

Rosamond is very sour and inconsiderate whenever he mentions cutting down

household expenses. He begins to resent the fact that she will not learn

that they only have a limited amount of money, and cannot spend any more;

she pouts like a sullen child, and acts like he has all the money in the

world, he is only too mean to spend it on her. He decides that they should

sell the house and the furniture, and move somewhere cheaper to live;

Rosamond, of course, takes badly to this suggestion. Ned Plymdale is to be

married, and Ned's mother rubs in that Ned has a lot more money than

Lydgate, meaning that Rosamond was wrong to turn him down.

Rosamond decides to handle matters herself; she makes sure that the

house cannot be sold to Ned Plymdale as her husband wishes, and writes his

relatives for money without telling him. She tells her husband that she

stopped the sale of the house, but not about the letters; Lydgate realizes

that she will be unhappy if they move, and dreads that. He decides to apply

to his rich uncle for money, not knowing that his wife has already done so.

Chapter 65:

Lydgate finds out, from a letter written by his uncle Godwin, that

Rosamond wrote him for money behind his back. Lydgate is enraged that

Rosamond would do such a thing, and also because he was about to go to see

his uncle, and may have gotten some money, rather than a complete denial.

However, when Lydgate gets angry at her for deceiving him and playing him

false, she does what she always does‹look pretty, shed a tear, and act with

composure. Lydgate is weakened by this, meaning that he will always be in

debt, and will allow his wife to be selfish, stupid, and vain, even if it

means their financial ruin. Rosamond hits new lows of shallowness when she

proclaims that she would rather have died in childbirth than have to give

up her house and furniture.

Chapter 66:

Lydgate, out of desperation for money and foolish hope that some will

come to him, begins to gamble. Usually this is something which he treats

with contempt, but in the situation he is in, he decides to go to the Green

Dragon and play billiards. He is very good at first, winning a good bit of

money; Fred Vincy and a friend come in, and Fred is surprised, and

displeased, to find his brother-in-law there. Fred has been working hard

for six months and spending little, and figures he has a little bit to

spare at gambling; but when he sees Lydgate there, he thinks better of it.

Lydgate's luck changes and he begins to lose, and Fred is good enough to

draw him away, and suggest that they see Farebrother, who is right

downstairs.

Farebrother is there to speak to Fred rather than Lydgate; he tells

Fred not to slip back into his old ways, lest he lose Mary and his position

with Mr. Garth. He says that he, too, loves Mary, and that if Fred messes

things up this time, he is not sure to win Mary back. Farebrother does not

mean that he will steal Mary, he is simply warning Fred that he should try

to deserve her, and make her happy too. Fred takes the point, and hopefully

will try to be more careful and more devoted to her.

Chapter 67:

Luckily, after losing at the Green Dragon, Lydgate feels no more

desire to gamble. But, he is still in danger of losing his furniture

because of his debt, and decides that he must apply to Bulstrode for money.

Lydgate delays; and soon, Bulstrode has called on him to see to some health

concerns of his. Bulstrode is feeling unwell probably because of the

Raffles situation; but he also wants to speak of Lydgate about withdrawing

his support from the hospital and moving away. Mrs. Casaubon, he says,

would take his place as major supporter, though it would be best to merge

the old Infirmary with the new hospital. Lydgate objects, because he knows

that the people who run the Infirmary dislike him. Then, he takes the

plunge, and tells Bulstrode that he needs a thousand pounds to discharge

his debts and keep himself going; Bulstrode says that it would be better to

declare bankruptcy, which Lydgate resents. Lydgate is still left with no

way out, and his debt to the town tradespeople is very nearly due.

Chapter 68:

Raffles comes again to Bulstrode's, and Bulstrode must let him stay at

the house for fear that he might go into the town and tell people about

Bulstrode's story. Bulstrode tries his best to conceal who the man is and

what he is doing there from his wife, but he still causes alarm throughout

the household; his wife may not know exactly who Raffles is, but surely she

has some idea that he is a friend from Bulstrode's less honest past.

Bulstrode tells Raffles that he may get money from Bulstrode as long as he

does not come back to Middlemarch; he takes Raffles to a nearby town, gives

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