Middlemarch
A Study of Provincial Life
Middlemarch follows several lives in a Midlands town around 1830, in the years leading up to the first Reform Act. Dorothea Brooke, a serious young woman who wants to do good in the world, marries the elderly scholar Casaubon and discovers her mistake; Tertius Lydgate, an ambitious young doctor, marries the pretty Rosamond Vincy and finds his ideals ground down by debt and gossip. Around them George Eliot arranges bankers, clergymen, farmers and politicians, each seen with the same patience and irony. Published in eight parts in 1871 and 1872, the novel is long and deliberately unhurried, and its subject is the gap between what people intend and what their circumstances allow. Virginia Woolf called it one of the few English novels written for grown-up people. Read it online in your browser on Vinteuil; the first chapter is free.
Start reading right away, without signing up. The complete text is included in Vinteuil Reading, or yours forever with a one-time purchase.
Frequently asked questions about Middlemarch
Middlemarch by George Eliot can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read Middlemarch online?
Yes. Middlemarch opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is Middlemarch free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of Middlemarch is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is Middlemarch in the public domain?
Yes. Middlemarch by George Eliot is a public-domain work. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read Middlemarch?
About 21 h 13 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is Middlemarch?
Middlemarch by George Eliot is filed under "Fiction" in the Vinteuil library.
