The other day, I was searching through some articles and
found one titled: “Why Feminist Critics are Angry with George Eliot” by Zelda
Austen. The article was published in 1976, but I think it makes some good
points! Austen takes on some of the negative criticism of Eliot and provides
explanations and counter arguments. I found the article to be interesting,
especially since some of us may have some anger directed toward Eliot (for
reasons other than “Why does Middlemarch have
to be so long!).
The article states that critics are angry with Eliot “because
she did not permit Dorothea Brooke in Middlemarch
to do what George Eliot did in real life.” For example, Dorothea does not
translate, or publish. She also does not refuse to marry or live openly with a
man whom she could not marry. Some critics see Dorothea’s marriage to Will as a
cop-out and wish that Dorothea didn’t marry at all. They also wish for Dorothea
to be more of a reflection of Eliot’s own biography. Zelda Austen makes the
counter-argument that Dorothea couldn’t be like Eliot. Eliot was a “genius” and
one of kind. Dorothea, however, represents “every girl of exceptional
aspiration” who must fit into “the forms that already existed.”
Other critics disagree with the message that Eliot is
portraying. They believe Eliot is saying that the character that breaks the mold of society is “doomed.” Dorothea
must go through a lot of pain before her actions are rewarded. One critic
states, “The heroine does better to accept her lot, submit to the yoke of
marriage, and curb her desires…” Critics are upset because Dorothea’s only happy
route seems to be marriage and how does marriage break the female stereotype?
I would argue that Dorothea does break out of the world of
limitations that are associated with being a woman. Although she gets married,
Dorothea wants to be married to Will and does not "curb her desires." In response to Dorothea’s marriage, Mr.
Brooke says, “But she can act as she likes, you know.” Dorothea doesn’t let her
dead husband control her from the grave. She doesn’t wallow in self-pity that
she can’t marry the man she loves without losing all her money. Instead, she is
active. She defies Casaubon, and does exactly what she wants.
The article says a lot more than I can't write on a blog post.
If you are interested, it can be accessed on JSTOR.
I would agree with you Brandi, but Dorothea has to lose everything in order to be with Ladislaw. I think Dorothea does get herself out from under the control of Casaubon, but at what cost. I think Dorothea is trying to fit into a changing world and doesn't quite know how to proceed, kind of like a Modernist.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you. Dorothea definitely has to lose everything in order to be with Ladislaw, but what else is she giving up? Throughout the book it felt as if Dorothea was playing a variety of roles, and to only please other people except herself, and the fact that she is trying to fit into a changing world makes it difficult.
ReplyDeleteDorothea's sense of self changed again and again and again with each life decision she made, usually concerning a man in some way or another: marrying Casaubon, helping Lydgate, marrying Will, having male children, etc. I agree with the critics that believe Dorothea represents the female stereotype, and even more, a mental disorder. With that said, I would really like to see a psychoanalysis of this character, our Dorothea. Psychology/sociology/biology majors, assemble!
ReplyDeleteTerrific post, Brandi, and really smart comments, ladies! (Even if I would quibble with some of you!)
ReplyDelete