Welcome back everyone!
Thank you for joining me again! I can’t wait to explore more of Middlemarch today! Up until now, we came to know Dorothea Brooke as someone very devoted to her faith and equally as devoted to her knowledge and education. She accepted Mr Casaubon’s proposal, and now we see what comes next!
Chapter 6
We left off at what I think is the first important point in the story - Dorothea has accepted Casaubon’s proposal, and is thinking about what life will be like when she’s married to him.
As soon as Mr Casaubon is leaving the Brooke’s home, we are introduced to another character - Mrs Cadwallader. She seems to be a very uncomfortable person to be around. If you have watched the 2005 Pride and Prejudice movie in German and have heard Mrs Bennet’s voice - that’s what I expect her to sound like. (Absolutely annoying, for everyone who hasn’t seen it.) They talk a bit about politics, or rather about how women are not meant to talk about politics.
Ummm… idk man, but your niece definitely is a thinker, you know… I really don’t know what to say to this.
But then he admits that he also prefers James for Dorothea, and I’m just gonna say that I still think they’re meant for each other!!
Yes and Thank You. I would have chosen him as well. They got along so well with Dorothea. He wants to make all her dreams come true. Ugggh. Just… Re-think your decision, Dorothea.
Celia comes around and tells Mrs Cadwallader that Dorothea is engaged to Mr Casaubon, and that it wouldn’t be her first choice either. How obvious does it have to get? Also she defends her sister a bit, but to be honest, this amount of obliviousness is just not normal anymore.
Thank you, Celia, for calling out how oblivious Dorothea is.
Mrs Cadwallader leaves and intends to tell James that his love is engaged to someone else… 😟
As she leads up to her story, James grows more and more concerned about Dorothea, but the worst thing on his mind would be for her to join some random sect or cult. That’s just hilarious, like… He doesn’t even think about another suitor, he knows Dorothea, and his first thought is like: “Yup. Cult.”
I’m just gonna leave you with that. We have ourselves a rivalry.
And then Mrs Cadwallader tells him to go and choose Celia!!!! Ummmm… No? He and Dorothea are basically meant to be together, let the man fight for his love. Engagements can be broken up.
James… That’s not what we talked about. Please. Don’t take the younger sister just cause you lost hope. This is a very Mr “I-can’t-have-Jane-so-I-will-take-Elizabeth” Collins move. Don’t. Just dont.
Chapter 7
We’re going back to Mr Casaubon, and it turns out that maybe, just maybe, his feelings for Dorothea aren’t quite as strong as he thought they were.
Meanwhile Dorothea is actively trying her best to be the perfect woman for him. I can’t do this any longer…
I know Latin and Greek, Dorothea. Learn from me. HE’S NOT GONNA APPRECIATE YOU DOROTHEA. I wanna throw stuff.
And there is nothing wrong with that. I feel like her desire for knowledge and his desire for aobedient wife are gonna collide, ngl.
Chapter 8
So we’re back with James, who really found some compassion for Dorothea, because he (as well as everyone else) can see that this marriage is not going to end well. But he blames Mr Brooke, who could have hindered her from making this bad decision.
I don’t know what it is about this argument, but I just think it’s hilarious. Poor James is really clutching at straws here…
Yeah, right. James. You’re jealous. That’s it. You love her. Admit it.
I’ll just let that stay here cause it’s hilarious.
Okay so basically, James is doing everything in his power to convince the people around him that this match is not so good as it might seem. But it seems like some higher force is conspiring against him. But there are so many allusions to Casaubons poor health and “old” age, that I can’t help but think that he’s gonna die pretty soon. And I think that’s gonna be James’ opportunity.
Dorothea, I think, is obsessing over her fiancé a bit too much. She’s practically idolizing him, making him out to be more scholarly than he might actually be. Yes, he reads in Latin, Greek and Hebrew, but he only cares about matters of the Church. I think once they’re married (if they marry), she’s in for an uncomfortable surprise.
In the meantime, I really hope that Celia and James don’t get too close to one another. Dorothea might still fall in love with him. Ohhh… is she maybe gonna have an affair? No, I think she’s way too pious for that. We'll see. Until then:
Lots of Love and Literature!
Leonie
