Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot, first published in eight installments (volumes) in 1871–1872. The novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during 1829–1832 and follows seve ... Read more

Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot, first published in eight installments (volumes) in 1871–1872. The novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during 1829–1832 and follows several distinct, intersecting stories with a large cast of characters. Issues include the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism, self-interest, religion, hypocrisy, political reform, and education. Despite comic elements, Middlemarch is a work of realism encompassing historical events: the 1832 Reform Act, the beginnings of the railways, and the death of King George IV and the succession of his brother, the Duke of Clarence (King William IV). It incorporates contemporary medicine and examines the reactionary views of a settled community facing unwelcome change. The novel was adapted for screen in the 1995 television serial of the same name. Produced by the BBC on BBC2 in six episodes (seven episodes in the worldwide TV series), it is the second such adaptation for television of the novel. It was directed by Anthony Page from a screenplay by Andrew Davies and starred Juliet Aubrey, Rufus Sewell, Douglas Hodge, and Patrick Malahide. Judi Dench featured as George Eliot (voiceover). In a 28 March 1994 review for The New York Times, Elizabeth Kolbert said the mini-series was a hit in Britain as it "mesmerized millions of viewers here, setting off a mini-craze for Victorian fiction. In its wake, there were Middlemarch lectures, Middlemarch comics, even a wave of Middlemarch debates. The serial won the following awards: British Academy Television Awards - Best Actress (Juliet Aubrey), Best Makeup, Best Original Television Music, Broadcasting Press Guild Awards - Best Actress (Juliet Aubrey), Writers' Guild of Great Britain - Best Dramatized Serial, and Television and Radio Industries Club Awards - BBC Programme of the Year Less