tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post8288126680525995791..comments2024-02-29T02:54:19.767-05:00Comments on Babbling Books: The Mill on the Floss by George EliotBrian Josephhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-90127252397503597922017-02-22T17:54:41.400-05:002017-02-22T17:54:41.400-05:00Hi Jane - I also thought that Maggie's devotio...Hi Jane - I also thought that Maggie's devotion and submission to Tom was maddening and frustrating. But sometimes flaws in characters make books better.<br /><br />I thought that it was plausible however. I think that strong and independent people sometimes are not so strong with one particular person.<br /><br />The symbolism is this book was a little overwrought and awkward. I remember thinking similar things about Middlemarch. <br /><br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-47738717092771077552017-02-22T16:20:39.009-05:002017-02-22T16:20:39.009-05:00After reading your post, I had to go back and read...After reading your post, I had to go back and read my own post about this book, which I read over five years ago. I really admire George Eliot, and while I like Mill on the Floss, I found her a bit heavy handed with the symbolism and even in how she handled Maggie's character. I never could understand why she remained subservient to brother Tom to the end. It seemed an inconsistency that I couldn't reconcile.<br /><br />JaneGShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11094501834387622997noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-10682549874386300822017-02-21T15:47:08.204-05:002017-02-21T15:47:08.204-05:00Hi Stephanie - The ending worked for me. Maggie an...Hi Stephanie - The ending worked for me. Maggie and Tom seemed so linked thoughout the story. Almost inevitable. <br /><br />Also Maggie showed so much will and character. It seemed to fit. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-6666911040491318512017-02-21T14:01:37.520-05:002017-02-21T14:01:37.520-05:00I read this ages ago so don't have all the det...I read this ages ago so don't have all the details any longer, but I wonder whether you found the ending problematic at all given Maggie's fate? Do you think Eliot was trying to make a point?Stefaniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14943596258182968212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-29721189472461388182017-02-20T19:52:27.105-05:002017-02-20T19:52:27.105-05:00Thanks Susan - Tom is indeed controlling. Steven i...Thanks Susan - Tom is indeed controlling. Steven is handsome, and while not totally vacuous is not that substantive.<br /><br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-15657086962340770462017-02-20T17:25:37.764-05:002017-02-20T17:25:37.764-05:00Nice review Brian. Tom sounds controlling. Poor ...Nice review Brian. Tom sounds controlling. Poor Maggie, but who is Steven? I hope she is able to break through her circumstances, of the awful relatives. thecuecardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08870323589682197091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-83829999158637615972017-02-20T12:36:42.587-05:002017-02-20T12:36:42.587-05:00Hi Tracy - I have not read The Essex Tales. I woul...Hi Tracy - I have not read The Essex Tales. I would like to. <br /><br />Though l liked Middlemarch better I think that you would like this. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-21132217466288343672017-02-20T12:32:49.838-05:002017-02-20T12:32:49.838-05:00Hi Hila - The only other Eliot that I have read is...Hi Hila - The only other Eliot that I have read is Middlemarch. The combination of the factors that you mentioned does make these books brilliant. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-70094295374170547692017-02-20T10:46:04.991-05:002017-02-20T10:46:04.991-05:00Having recently read and enjoyed my first book by ...Having recently read and enjoyed my first book by this author (Wessex Tales) I was tempted to give The Mill On The Floss a go as we have a copy on our shelves. Great review Brian, you have me convinced.Felicity Grace Terryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17852843882007267665noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-4815170347725716512017-02-20T10:42:37.007-05:002017-02-20T10:42:37.007-05:00As I've been reading more of her work, Eliot h...As I've been reading more of her work, Eliot has become one of my favorite novelists - I haven't read this one yet, but plan to. The exploration of individual character/psychology in a web of culture, history, philosophy is one of the qualities of her work I love.HKatzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17653570160517335758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-47216640285181677622017-02-19T10:47:52.197-05:002017-02-19T10:47:52.197-05:00Thanks Reader's Tales.
If you read this I wo...Thanks Reader's Tales. <br /><br />If you read this I would love to know what you thought. <br /><br />Have a great week!Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-12949259873593497942017-02-19T06:03:32.917-05:002017-02-19T06:03:32.917-05:00Brian, this is an excellent review. We have this b...Brian, this is an excellent review. We have this book at home - Sweetheart adores it, it's brilliantly written! One day I will read this novel. I wish you a fabulous week ahead :) The Reader's Taleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12701126931175725145noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-72902015312790163842017-02-18T06:31:53.427-05:002017-02-18T06:31:53.427-05:00Thanks so much Maria.
George Eliot’s prose were f...Thanks so much Maria.<br /><br />George Eliot’s prose were fantastic. She was a brilliant author. The fact that she had to use a man’s name is illustrative of the terrible sexism that has been ingrained in the world for a very long time. As your examples show, it is everywhere. <br /><br />I have been remiss in not reading James Tiptree or more properly Alice Bradley Sheldon. I have been reading more science fiction lately and must give her books a try. As your examples <br /><br />Maggie is such a compelling character. Indeed, I think that there have always been people like Maggie who shine out above their surroundings. I think that you would like this book. <br />Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-79199633877206124852017-02-18T06:20:41.205-05:002017-02-18T06:20:41.205-05:00Thanks so much Baili.
I am glad to hear that you ...Thanks so much Baili.<br /><br />I am glad to hear that you also enjoyed this book. There is a lot of sadness. But in the wonderful characterization of Maggie, there is also a lot of life. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-28105814786851878992017-02-18T00:42:17.853-05:002017-02-18T00:42:17.853-05:00this story is included our syllabus of master in E...this story is included our syllabus of master in English literature ,there are many others too.<br />it is one of my favorite one and read many times though it's end makes me sad but what wonderful characterization and really nicely woven !<br />i felt glad that today you shared something that i read many times .something from my shelf !<br />God Bless you. bailihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06498012175058870980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-28362037789631532702017-02-18T00:36:20.883-05:002017-02-18T00:36:20.883-05:00Getting back to "The Mill On The Floss",...Getting back to "The Mill On The Floss", I am now interested in reading it, thanks mostly to your comments about Maggie. She does indeed sound like a very compelling, well fleshed-out character. And she was a misfit in her world, due to her intelligence and high regard for culture. I wonder how many such real-life young people -- whether boys or girls -- around the world, and in different centuries, have felt similarly at odds with, and been stifled by, those closest to them, as well as the society they lived in.....<br /><br />(At this point, I can hear Archie Bunker shouting in my head, "Stifle, Edith! Stifle!" Lol.)<br /><br />BTW, I LOVE this quote of your own writing in this review: "The book is also filled with wisdom that comes served on a platter of delectable writing." And what a delectable sentence this is! Bravo!!<br /><br />Thanks for your very insightful thoughts!! This book is now going on my Goodreads shelves, as well as the other Eliot novels!! Enjoy your weekend!! :) :) :) <br />Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-70597647500665311752017-02-18T00:27:29.490-05:002017-02-18T00:27:29.490-05:00Thanks for another outstanding, well-written post,...Thanks for another outstanding, well-written post, Brian!!<br /><br />WOW. I have never read any of George Eliot's work, but I can see that I've really been missing out! The woman was obviously a BRILLIANT writer!! I was blown away by the two quotes you provided in your review. I love her elegance of style, her vivid metaphors, the way she contrasts different historical periods and cities. She was also obviously a woman of great culture.<br /><br />How very sad that she felt it necessary, as the Brontë sisters did, to use a masculine pen name so that her work would be taken seriously.... Indeed, she has gone down in literary history as "George Eliot", and not Mary Ann Evans, which was her real name. <br /><br />Interestingly, there was a 20th-century SF writer who also used a male pen name. I suppose hat was because of her chosen literary genre. I'm referring to James Tiptree, Jr., whose real name was Alice Bradley Sheldon. I'm sure you must have read her works, since you enjoy SF fo much.<br /><br />It wasn't until 1977, ten years before her passing, that it became widely known that Tiptree was really a woman. This quote from Wikipedia is very interesting: "She was most notable for breaking down the barriers between writing perceived as inherently 'male' or 'female'—". <br /><br />In this vein, here's another interesting, and even ironic, quote from the same Wikipedia article, and coming from none other than Robert Silverberg! It has a marked sexist tone. Here it is: " "It has been suggested that Tiptree is female, a theory that I find absurd, for there is to me something ineluctably masculine about Tiptree's writing." " I can't believe this, from a fellow science fiction writer!! <br /><br />Then there's the case of J.K. Rowling, whose publishers thought that her intended reading public -- young boys -- would not relate well to the Harry Potter series if they thought it had been written by a woman. She therefore decided to use the initials "JK" (and she actually has no middle name, by the way), instead of her real name, Joanne Rowling. She now also uses the pen name, "Robert Galbraith" for her newer novels, which are written for adults. I guess her motive for doing this was to have people react to her adult books without previous reference to the Harry Potter series. She apparently wanted these books judged on their own merits.<br /><br />(More coming.....)<br /><br />Maria Beharhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635809880830316283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-61416484019409853142017-02-17T19:49:34.533-05:002017-02-17T19:49:34.533-05:00Thanks Citizen.
There is so much to read and tim...Thanks Citizen. <br /><br />There is so much to read and time is always an issue. As much as I liked this book I would recommend Middlemarch if you ever decide to try Eliot. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-83487404287407389532017-02-17T18:42:07.113-05:002017-02-17T18:42:07.113-05:00Yet another great review.
I have never read George...Yet another great review.<br />I have never read George Eliot, which just seems wrong. My only defense is that I was so busy reading Bronte and Austen a million times (each book) that I had no time left for other classics!<br />I so wish I had read more in high school and college when I had the time. I remember reading East of Eden by Steinbeck and Of Human Bondage by Maugham during that time and it was very pleasurable just to immerse myself in the classic prose styles. I honestly don't think I'd have the patience anymore. Sad.Citizen Readerhttp://www.citizenreader.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-18117112886440070332017-02-17T14:42:57.374-05:002017-02-17T14:42:57.374-05:00Hi Jacqui - it seems a lot of folks read George El...Hi Jacqui - it seems a lot of folks read George Eliot in school. <br /><br />It is interesting. I love analyzing books. I even liked it back at school. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-49634098251443970232017-02-17T14:07:12.976-05:002017-02-17T14:07:12.976-05:00I remember reading this novel at school and really...I remember reading this novel at school and really enjoying it. Unusual for me as the process of studying and analysing a set text tended to suck the life out of the story. Thank you for a lovely reminder. JacquiWinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16220597283351925721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-11895715955729031282017-02-17T12:59:57.224-05:002017-02-17T12:59:57.224-05:00Hi Kathy - That is a great passage. Hi Kathy - That is a great passage. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-82799544768858218772017-02-17T12:58:23.945-05:002017-02-17T12:58:23.945-05:00Hi James - I have only read this one and Middlemar...Hi James - I have only read this one and Middlemarch. I have much to look forward to. Brian Josephhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15139559400312336791noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-5745418809846771552017-02-17T11:49:12.463-05:002017-02-17T11:49:12.463-05:00I love all of George Eliot's novels. They are...I love all of George Eliot's novels. They are all excellent and your review of <i>The Mill on the Floss</i> provides insights into that excellence. You have reminded me that I am overdue to reread one of her novels, or perhaps tackle <i>Romola</i>, the only one I've never read.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00561320676355168336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4043273283783489008.post-34430720923254011982017-02-17T11:23:33.809-05:002017-02-17T11:23:33.809-05:00I haven't read George Elliot but your review a...I haven't read George Elliot but your review and the passages you quoted makes me realize that I must give Middlemarch a try. As for The Mill and the Floss I particularly liked tne passage where Elliot looks out at the banks of the river and compares life in Medieval England to the Victorian age in which the novel is set. I guess its human nature to romanticize the past. Kathy's Cornerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03967595794483824444noreply@blogger.com