birdienl | Middlemarch watch-along: episode 4

This was a very Dorothea and Casoubon-heavy episode of Middlemarch.

The animosity between Ladislaw and Casoubon increases when Ladislaw accepts a job at Mr.Brooke's newspaper. Casoubon thinks a job as a newspaper editor will reflect badly on his status and tells Ladislaw he is not to visit them anymore, without telling Dorothea about it. Dorothea does not find out until she meets Ladislaw at her uncle's home. Ladislaw sees right through Dorothea's pretend happiness.

Oh dear, those 1830's hairstyles....

In the mean time, Casoubon's condition is still serious and in one amazingly acted scene (with hardly any words spoken) Lydgate tells Casoubon what could happen to him and Casoubon subsequently refuses to be comforted by Dorothea. His health issues do prompt Casoubon to finally make a start on his book to Dorothea's great joy. The work proves not to be very enlightening however, as we soon see in Dorothea's expression.

I am a serious and strict landlord. Really!

Casoubon also broaches the subject of what Dorothea is to do after he dies. He wants her to promise to obey his wishes, without telling her what these wishes are. Dorothea ofcourse cannot answer this question directly. The next day she wants to give Casoubon her answer, but when she finds him, he has died.

Dorothea falls into a depression after Casoubon dies and goes to live with her sister and Sir James and wear a hideous widow's cap. It is soon revealed that Casoubon made a will in which he forbade Dorothea from ever marrying Ladislaw. This means he's even more despicable than we already saw, but also that he wasn't blind...

Why did I ever think this would be a good idea?

Lydgate and Rosamund are still happily-married newlyweds, but we see Lydgate staring worriedly at Rosamunds expenses a few times. Her behaviour is surely spurred on by a visit to Lydgate's wealthy relatives. Rosamund also drops hints that she wishes Lydgate had a different profession than being a doctor. Luckily, there's some good news for Lydgate when Dorothea promises to help his hospital financially. Ladislaw, in the mean time, has become firm friends with the Lydgates: visiting Rosamund to sing with her and being invited to dinner by Lydgate to whom he more or less confesses there's a certain reason why he's staying in Middlemarch....

Me not understand. Could you please explain again?

Unfortunately no Fred Vincy in this episode. We do hear reverend Farebrother tell that Fred has left Middlemarch for a while because he's so ashamed about his debt to the Garth family.

Quote of the week:

Mr. Brooke: 'Wilberforce and his negroes, all fine and good. Reform of criminal law, long overdue. But I don't want to go the whole long you know! To give the vote to every Tom, Dick and Harry would be changing the whole balance of the constitution, you see?'

Ladislaw: 'Yes, but we want to change the balance of the constitution, that's what reform is about!'

Mr. Brooke: 'Yes, yes, but we don't want to go to extremes, do we?'

Discussion question(s):

- Dorothea finally gets to work with Casoubon on his book, yet she soon seems to tire from it. Why do you think this is? What had she expected to be differently?

- What do you think of Ladislaw's character now that you've gotten to know him a bit?

That time when you invited a friend over and he and your husband buried their heads in books and papers, while you tried to entertain them