Middlemarch

George Eliot - Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans). Set in a fictitious Midlands town from 1829 to 1832, it follows distinct, intersecting stories with many characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Despite comic elements, Middlemarch uses realism to encompass historical events: the 1832 Reform Act, early railways, and the accession of King William IV. It views contemporary medicine and examines reactionary views in a settled community facing unwelcome change. Initial reviews were mixed, but it is now seen widely as her best work and one of the great novels in English.