A Reader's Guide to Essential Criticism
Adam Bede, The Mill On The Floss & Middlemarch
Focusing on three of Eliot's most influential and widely-read "Midlands" novels, Lucie Armitt traces the effect of recent critical interpretations upon the reception and teaching of Eliot's work, as well as revisiting some of the perspectives offered by original reviewers and early critics. Class, gender and ideology all come under scrutiny, as do Eliot's central fictive themes of currency, circulation, sensuality and the voice. A variety of theoretical positions are reflected in the material selected for discussion, including post-structuralism, feminism, Marxism and psycho-analysis. Clear explication of these discourses is offered, combined with informative and detailed readings of primary extracts as illustrations.
'Icon Readers' Guides' explore the key critical material relating to major works of world literature. A clear, informative narrative links the extracts and examines their context and importance. From contemporary reviews to postmodern readings, the Guides offer you a full account of the ways in which the works have been received by academics, critics and the public.
