George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss, first book

1. What seems the purpose of the arrangement into books and chapters? The sub-titles? Are there motifs or features of the book which suggest parallels with Greek tragedy? What is the reference in the epigraph? What is the significance of the title? What difference would it have made had the novel been titled, say, Maggie Tulliver?

2. What purpose may be served by the opening descriptions of the Floss and its mill? What seems the tone of the opening chapter? What purpose do you think is served by the Eliot’s descriptions of places?

3. What seems the relation of the narrator to the events he/she describes? At what points does the narrator intervene? Do you think the presence of such a narrator adds to the tale?

4. What kind of town is St. Ogg’s, and what seem features of the society it describes? Can you tell the time period in which it was set? How old would Eliot herself have been at the time? Can you comment on some possible autobiographical features of the novel?

5. What are Mr. Tulliver’s motives in educating Tom? Are these altogether enlightened? On what grounds does Mr. Riley suggest the choice of Mr. Stelling as tutor? Why do Mrs. Tulliver’s family object to his decision? What point may Eliot be making about the way important decisions come to be made?

6. What is the character of Mrs. Tulliver? What are her chief interests in life? What are the attitudes of both parents toward their children?

7. What are prominent traits of Maggie’s character? How do these cause her difficulty? Why may Maggie’s need for “love” be greater than Tom’s? In what way does she fail to conform to important gender conventions of her day? How are her reading tastes received?

8. What attitudes may Eliot be satirizing in her portrayal of the Dodsons?

9. To what extent is George Eliot a humorist? a satirist? Can you see ways in which she is also a moralist?

10. What do we learn about Tom’s character in this book? His treatment of Maggie? His relationship with others such as Bob Lakin who offend him?

11. Can you identify some incidents or remarks in the text which may be instances of foreshadowing? (esp. images of drowning, signs of tension between Tom and Maggie)

12. What is Eliot’s purpose in presenting features of the respective Dodson families? the relations between the sisters? What do all seem to share in common?

13. What concatenation of personal traits and events seems poised to cause trouble at the end of the book? .