Browsing by Author "Safaei, Ladan Amir"

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Personal integrity in a changing world: Dorothea and social developments in 19th century Britain
(2010) Safaei, Ladan Amir
This thesis analyzes George Eliot’s Middlemarch, sets it firmly within the social structures of early 19th century Britain. Socially-imposed identity, strict moral and conventional expectations, the class system, and social and political changes are all factors which shape Dorothea’s story. At the same time, the wider context of the novel is the concerns of reformers in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. This study shows that in many ways, the errors of Dorothea, and the traps into which she falls, are the result of her strong desire to serve a society which lets her down. The ways Dorothea responds to this challenge, and tries to become an integrating element in the town while maintaining her integrity are closely related to George Eliot’s own social and political views. In brief, in the novel and particularly in the character of Dorothea, Eliot demonstrates the balance that exists between powerful collective forces and individual choice in the context of a changing Britain and the efforts of the 19th century social reformers.