novel · Reading Worlds
Middlemarch: read and explore
Set in a fictional English Midlands town from 1829 to 1832, it weaves together multiple…
About this reading
- Author
- George Eliot
- Form
- novel
- Catalog year
- 1871
Choose this reading by interest and comfort with the language. This catalog does not assign a school grade. Preview the text before reading with a child; classic works can contain unfamiliar language and historical attitudes.
Read MiddlemarchPreview the language: Chapter 1
Since I can do no good because a woman, Reach constantly at something that is near it. —_The Maid’s Tragedy:_ BEAUMONT AND FLETCHER. Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress. Her hand and wrist were so finely formed that she could wear sleeves not less bare of style than those in which the Blessed Virgin appeared to Italian painters; and her profile as well as her stature and bearing seemed …
Choose a phrase from this opening. What does it suggest, and which words support your interpretation? Read on to test your first impression.
A reading activity for Middlemarch
- Before opening the text, read the title and this catalog description: “Set in a fictional English Midlands town from 1829 to 1832, it weaves together multiple…” Write one question you hope the reading will answer.
- Read a short passage. Choose one sentence that helps you understand what is happening and explain which words support your interpretation.
- Choose one unfamiliar word. Guess its meaning from the surrounding words, then check a dictionary or discuss it with a reading partner.
- Return to your original question. Explain what the passage answered and what you still need to read to find out.
These are suggested discussion tasks, not a scored assessment or a claim that finishing the text establishes mastery.
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Source edition: Project Gutenberg record for Middlemarch. This link identifies the catalog source; it does not imply endorsement.
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Educators and independent learners
Learning goal: Read Middlemarch by George Eliot, then support an interpretation with words from the text.
Before you begin: Preview the language and historical context. Select a passage appropriate for your learners.
Check understanding: Ask for one observation, the evidence that supports it, and a question to investigate next.
Catalog inclusion does not assign a school grade. Preview historical language and themes before using a work with children.
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