Model for AP English Literature Summer Reading Assignment
**Remember to hand-write this in blue or black ink**
Middlemarch by George Eliot (You will read Frankenstein and Pride and Prejudice)
1. Writing style: “It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view” (61).
Eliot’s narrator philosophizes, comments on humanity at large, and shrewdly observes the
goings-on in the novel, to witty and pointed effect. Often the narrator allows us to see how a certain
character views things, with the addition of a sense of wisdom from a higher vantage point. For instance,
when the narration closes chapter seven with the words, ‘It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a
subject from various points of view” (61), we read this almost as a chorus shared between Mr. Brooke
and the narrator, for it is primarily Mr. Brooke’s sentiment we are to understand. Yet, the phrasing is so
strong and stark that we also read it as a truth to be universally acknowledged. In a novel of such length,
with multiple plot lines intersecting, Eliot’s use of the narrator-as-philosopher creates a bright path for
theme, motif, symbolism, and irony to course through.
2. Connection: “Appearances have very little to do with happiness” (473).
Eliot is interested in surfaces and what they reveal or conceal about individuals and human
nature at large. When Rosamond says, “appearances have very little to do with happiness” (473), this
strikes a note of irony with the reader, since Rosamond is herself quite caught up with maintaining the
appearance of wealth and social stature. A favorite device of Eliot is allowing a largely shallow character
to speak some truth; it wrests what might otherwise be simply a trite saying into something worth
pondering and evaluating more closely. The connection to my own life is twofold: first, it reminds me to
listen carefully to everyone. Second, the sentiment behind Rosamond’s words is a wise one to keep in
mind with regard to social media. Often we see only a curated version of others’ lives, even those we
think we know well. It is very easy to imagine that others experience more happiness more frequently
than we do when we see a holiday-burnished, happified version of their existence. Eliot raises the
question through Rosamond: if appearances have very little to do with happiness, then what does?
3. Interesting idea: “Character is not cut in marble―it is not something solid and unalterable. It is
something living and changing, and may become diseased as our bodies do.” “Then it may be rescued
and healed” (700).
Much of the novel explores the large idea of what makes a person of strong character,
juxtaposing characters that show differing values in order to promote Eliot’s underlying philosophy. Late
in the novel, Mr. Farebrother tells Dorothea, “character is not cut in marble―it is not something solid and
unalterable. It is something living and changing, and may become diseased as our bodies do” (700). We
often speak of character as something that adults either have or lack; the idea that even into maturity
people can alter character daily is a provocative one because it invites us to carefully examine our
smallest choices. Just as getting enough sleep and consuming a healthful diet will help to keep disease
at bay, daily choices and habits of character that propel us toward forgiveness and selflessness will help
to keep character strong. In fact, Dorothea’s response, “Then it may be rescued and healed” (700) seems
to refer to hope for herself as well as others; cementing the idea that strength of character always exists
in relation to others.