“But this codicil is framed so as to make everybody believe that she did.” … “I couldn’t take any immediate action on that ground, Chettam. In fact, if it were possible to pack him off…it would look all the worse for Dorothea to those who knew about it. It would seem as if we distrusted her—distrusted her, you know.” (Ch. 49)
But the months gained on him and left his plans belated: he had only had time to ask for that promise by which he sought to keep his cold grasp on Dorothea’s life. (Ch. 50)
How does Eliot develop multiple characters at the same time within the limited narrative structure of the novel? Using Fred Vincy as an example.
The narrative structure of the novel is limited: within each chapter only so many plot events can be told and a handful of characters developed. Within the few chapters that make up this week’s reading, Eliot manages to flesh out multiple characters like Fred, Dorothea, Lydgate, Rosamond etc. How does she manage to do this, when she generally focuses on one to two main characters per chapter?
