The Mill on the Floss (Classic Literature with Classical Music)

Rating:
Summary: Difficult beginning, big payoff
Review: Compare it not to DAVID COPPERFIELD but to Proust. I don't understand calling this book "sentimental" or "melodramatic." Big Things happen, yes, many of them inside the characters' heads, and they all pay their way in tragic resonance. Big Things are felt, yes, and anatomized with scrupulous truthfulness. The prose is glorious, and the characters presented with such subtlety and complexity that a reader can only feel extravagantly complimented on his intelligence.

If you're stranded on a desesrt island for the rest of your life and can have only one novel with you, make it REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST. But if you're stranded on a desert island and have only a week to live, make it MILL ON THE FLOSS.

By the way, Byatt's notes and introduction are terrific. (You will read the introduction after reading the book, of course.) She's plainly aware of all the traditional critical assessments of the novel, but isn't afraid to bust some of the hoary objections historically raised to the novel, most of them relating to the double-standard with which mostly male academics tend to treat female protagonists in fiction.

Rating:
Summary: A Big, Compassionate Novel
Review: Early in the novel, Eliot tells the great story of St. Ogg, who selflessly carried the Virgin Mary across a flooded river. The story pretty much frames the themes of the whole novel. The society of The Mill on the Floss is harsh, and the main characters must find it in themselves to live compassionately despite actions of the people aroung them.

This tragedy is primarily the story of Maggie. Her father's unwitting actions spark the family's financial downfall. In the Victorian society, this downfall is particularly harsh toward women like Maggie. She has to struggle against the deterministic forces fighting against her.

A lot of people don't like the opening hundred pages, but I thought they were some of the best. There was some wonderful biting humor, some extraordinary characterizations (particularly of Mr. Tulliver), some powerful imagery (look at the descriptions of the river), and real humanity. These elements carry on throughout the novel, and the plot picks up, too. Overall, this is a wonderful novel. Perhaps it is not Eliot's best, but it is too good to pass up.

Rating:
Summary: A moving masterpiece
Review: George Eliot was truly a writer ahead of her time. she definitely knows how to create characters which have soul and substance. Mill on the floss is much more then a mere tragic story; if the reader looks more carefully she or he can see the various social themes that Eliot tackled in this book. Themes I might add that are still around today. The rich against the poor, eg, Edward Tolliver's struggle against Wickem. Sexism, prejudice against people with disabilities, hypocrisy social judgement and morality. All these issues were raised in this story of family love, duty and trajedy. This book though classifyed as classic literature can still teach us a lot about the human condition. Its underlining messages still very much relevant today. I especially found the scene of maggie and Steven in the Inn very poignant. one could truly feel what Maggie was going through at that moment. Another outstanding scene was the one where Tom confronts Philip in the woods and berates him for having the boldness to court his sister. pointing out his deformaty he usues it as a weapon to drive Philip to the ground despite the fact that class wise philip was above Tom. George Eliot (Mary Anne Evens) must be laughing somewhere seeing how her books are still talked about today. Finally, I have to congradulate Naxos on producing another great audiobook. Sara Kestelman does an excellent job at narrating this lovely story.

Rating:
Summary: Heartbreaking...
Review: I regret reading this book, not that it was not well-written in any way. This is my first reading of one of George Eliot's masterpieces, and probably the last one. I was extremely sad when I finished the book, the kind of effect and memory I never had when reading other british classics. Why should Maggie and Tom die? And why did Stephen and Lucy get married eventhough they have no love between them? Especially for Stephen, by marrying Lucy, he has fulfilled the expectations of those who separated him and Maggie. I didn't like the ending because it left every character in the story torn apart, despair, and meaningless in life. I've always had this feeling inside when reading passages about Tom and Maggie, that there is some sort of incestial love between the brother and sister, and my feelings were reafirmed after reading how they hung on to each other when they died. How I wished Stephen and Maggie were together and found happiness together by overcoming the numerous barriers and obstacles in their lives and sorrounding.

Rating:
Summary: MAGNIFICENT
Review: In THE MILL ON THE FLOSS George Eliot provides an insightful and intelligent story depicting rural Victorian society. Set in the parish of St. Ogg's, Maggie and Tom Tulliver endure childhood and young adulthood while experiencing the harsh realities of poverty, devotion, love, and societal reputation. I emphasized greatly with Maggie as I have experienced some of her own lived experiences. I truly loved every chapter of this book and didn't want it to end. It is indeed very rare that I have this type of reaction to a book. Although this book was published during the Victorian era, it's amazing how Eliot's prose flows virtually unobstructed. The reader is given a rare glimpse into rural life during the 19th century and is treated to how strictly structured society was then. I am now a fan of Eliot and look forward to reading her other novels.

Bottom line: THE MILL ON THE FLOSS is an excellent novel. Enjoy!

Rating:
Summary: The Mystery of George Eliot
Review: Is George Eliot the world's greatest novelist? There's certainly an argument to be made, based on her classics Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda, which feature characters as complex and vividly, bafflingly alive as those of Shakespeare.

Yet today she seems curiously unread and under-appreciated, certainly in comparison to her contemporary, Charles Dickens. This has long mystified me, but perhaps I've found the solution in Mill on the Floss.

Seemingly the best known of her books, Mill on the Floss is certainly the one most frequently taught in high schools and colleges. And it's probably enough to guarantee that most students forced through it or its Cliff Notes won't bother with her again.

Not that it's a bad book. If you like Eliot, you'll find plenty of her riveting, obsessive characterization and dramatic psychology here. But along with these come a fractured, frustrating structure, a dearth of narrative drive, and endless passages of phonetic, "naturalistic" rural accents. Not to mention an ending so out of left field it seems to belong to an entirely different story. Unlike Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda, or even early but more successful novels like Adam Bede, Mill on the Floss is work, and its rewards are more modest.

Mill on the Floss seems to rate the academic attention because of its autobiographical elements, perhaps for its dazzling heroine, rather than its overall quality. So don't let an underwhelmed response to this fascinating if flawed book keep you from the rest of her amazing work -- she might be the best novelist out there.

Rating:
Summary: A Minor Work by George Eliot
Review: There is nothing like an obtuse, clotted introduction to impede a good book. For George Eliot's "The Mill on the Floss," The introduction contributes nearly 50 pages of dense literary criticism that numbs the head, darkens the spirit, and creates grave doubts that this book is worth reading for anyone with less than a doctorate in English literature. There is nothing better than reading a good novel. Likewise, there is nothing worse than reading literary criticism that employs the obscurantist principles of the type that infect this introduction. After threading a path through these paragraphs that loom like mountains of iron, it is presumed one is ready to embark on Eliot's novel.

George Eliot, a.k.a Mary Ann Evans, wrote several novels in the mid 19th century. "The Mill on the Floss," written in 1859-60, is not considered one of her better novels. That distinction falls to "Middlemarch," a book that is often referred to as "the best English language novel ever written." Others compare Eliot to Dickens, with the astute observation that Eliot's prose is loftier and her plots are composed with a greater intellectual ability. Wherever your preferences may lie in regards to 19th century English literature, Eliot's novels will find their way to your bookshelf. She's an important enough figure in the English literary canon that an opinion on her writings is an absolute necessity.

Eliot's writing is a large tapestry woven with biblical, classical, and English literary threads, as paragraph after paragraph, page after page, unfurls into a beautifully formed whole. Characters and atmosphere are masterfully etched in ink and paper as Eliot constructs a story exposing the contradictions and capriciousness of English provincial life in the 19th century. The ornate prose and intellectual brilliance found here can quickly overwhelm the literary novice. This is not a book for speed-reading or a quick weekend read. Passages must be reread and thought about in order to draw out Eliot's intentions.

"The Mill on the Floss" tells the story of two families, the Tullivers and the Dodsons, with special emphasis on Maggie and Tom Tulliver. The story covers over a decade of trials and tribulations within these two families, from the bucolic innocence of childhood on the banks of the Floss, to the bankruptcy of the Tulliver family and their subsequent exile from the family home of Dorlcote Mill. Roughly the last half of the book examines the travails of Maggie, as she falls in love with Phillip Wakem, the hunchbacked son of the lawyer who brought about the ruin of the Tullivers. Maggie's intentions with the enemy bring on the wrath of brother Tom, who has sworn to his father to oppose the Wakems with every ounce of his strength. When Stephen Guest (the beau of Maggie's cousin Lucy) suddenly woos Maggie, the connections become even more tangled (Guest is such an annoying addition to the story that Penguin saw fit to include an essay at the end of the book entitled, "The Placing of Stephen Guest," in an attempt to justify his presence.). Tom and Maggie reconcile in an ending that is both redemptive and poignant.

A surprising element of the novel is its humor. It is not the staccato, rim shot humor one finds in America, but a slow, ingratiating British wit that builds over the course of dozens of pages. This humor is most apparent early in the story, when characters are introduced and Eliot examines the troubles of childhood. By the time things begin to decline for the Tullivers, the humor disappears from the story. This use of humor is unexpected from such an august figure as Eliot.

What is even more surprising is the use of British vernacular in the dialogue of the characters. This may be due to Eliot's love of Sir Walter Scott, an author who made copious use of Scottish accent in his fictional novels. Regrettably, this "British brogue" doesn't work as well here as it does in Scott's work. All too often, the dialect drops out of dialogue, leaving the reader to wonder how the characters can switch between perfect English and provincial slang.

Perhaps Eliot's novel is best summed up in her statement, "I am telling the history of very simple people, who had never had any illuminating doubts as to personal integrity and honour." There is honor and integrity, such as duty to family and stoicism in the face of harrowing losses. However, this is ultimately a sad book, and quite effective in showing how social norms and narrow mindedness can ruin lives and create needless sorrow. This may not be Eliot's best work, but it definitely deserves due consideration by lovers of classic literature.

Rating:
Summary: almost perfect
Review: This novel begins with an excellent exmaination of childhood and introduces us to a brother and sister who really don't know each other in some fundamental ways. Maggie is a girl with depth and true character and her brother simply considers her rebellious. The novel is a fascinating look at an insular world, social constraints and the place of Woman. I found the family discussions comic and truthful, and Maggie's later struggles very real. The ending left me tired and feeling somewhat manipulated . . .but also weeping. Truly great.

Rating:
Summary: almost perfect
Review: This novel begins with an excellent exmaination of childhood and introduces us to a brother and sister who really don't know each other in some fundamental ways. Maggie is a girl with depth and true character and her brother simply considers her rebellious. The novel is a fascinating look at an insular world, social constraints and the place of Woman. I found the family discussions comic and truthful, and Maggie's later struggles very real. The ending left me tired and feeling somewhat manipulated . . .but also weeping. Truly great.

Rating:
Summary: The divided self.
Review: _The Mill on the Floss_ (1860) was George Eliot's third published book (after Scenes from Clerical Life and Adam Bede)and tells the story of Maggie and Tom Tulliver, two children who grow up in the middle-class rural community of St. Ogg's.

It's been a while since I've read Mill on the Floss, I think that the last time I did I was in my early 20s, just graduated from school. I got a lot more out of the read this time, I think it's probably a book that profits both with re-reading and age. The first time I read it I identified so strongly with Maggie that I practically skipped over everything dealing with the other characters. I found Tom loathesome and the ending of the book appalling.

As a slightly more adult human, I was able to read it for more than just Maggie's story and enjoy it even more. I was surprised by how compulsively I read it. I'd had every intention of stretching it out over several days, but I literally found that I couldn't stop reading it and carried it with me from room to room in the house. I was able to laugh more at Eliot's sly humor and more able to see people like the Gleggs as people and not simply stock appendages of the story.

I think what makes Mill On the Floss such a powerful book (aside from the writing style, which is excellent) is this notion of the divided self which is being worked out both through Tom and Maggie. Tom has a firm clear sense of right and wrong and is always being forced to question or do injury to that sense because of his very difficult sister. On the other hand, Maggie can't seem to find the right balance between self-indulgence and renunciation. She can't ever manage a way to negotiate between the sharp emotions that she feels and her desire not to inflict the consequences of those emotions on her family and friends. It's a tragedy that neither of them ever really manage to understand each other and are constantly hurting and being hurt in their drive to do the right thing and be who they really are.

Interesting how Eliot plays with the tropes from all the popular women's sentimental novels of the time. A young girl who's unattractive because she's dark-haired overcomes poverty and goes on to attract the eye of the most fastidious and eligible man in town... However, in the world of St. Ogg's (unlike the novels of the sentimental sisters like Mary Jane Holmes) Maggie is unable to overcome her obstacles to happiness and is as trapped by her beauty and popularity as she was her unattractive hoyden girlhood. Given the position of women at the time and the strength of the social norms, it's unfortunately a much more believable view of the outcomes of things.

If you haven't read Eliot, I'd agree that it isn't her best book (that's still Middlemarch, for me, and I would begin there first) but it's hugely thought-provoking and honest. It should make many a young woman of today count their blessings and thank the stars that the world has changed since the time Maggie Tulliver was a girl.