Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by the English author George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans). The novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during 1829-32, 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...