A major event occurring during Queen Victoria’s reign that could affect how the reader views the novel was the cholera outbreak in England which lasted from 1846-1860. A large part of the issue in controlling the spread in England at the time was misunderstanding and misinformation, particularly pertaining to how the disease spread. To many, it was actually believed that the disease was, “a visitation of Divine Providence on the vicious and an unfortunate catastrophe in the lives of the poor.” (Underwood, 166) This was seemingly the case to many because it seemed people got the sickest in industrial areas, and nurses and higher-class individuals saw much lower numbers of sicknesses overall. An assumption was made, that perhaps the sickness spread through ‘bad air’ or particulates in the air from decaying organics. It was also noted that there was a higher occurrence of disease in areas with unpaved roads or insufficient disposal of trash/garbage in the street. During this time, misinformation and assumptive conclusions about the disease ran rampant, which further contributed to its spread. The epidemic came in waves, and the largest one which began in 1849 resulted in over 53,000 deaths (Underwood, 169). It wasn’t until a prominent physician named John Snow came across a discovery in his study in 1854 that clarity was found in the way the disease spread- there was a clear link between its spread and contaminated drinking water- which would easily explain the way the disease had been disproportionately affecting lower class people.

This event is particularly interesting to view in context to Middlemarch, not only as it pertains to the way the book broke the standards of what a woman “should be” writing at the time, but also the way it takes an unexpected approach in the typical “romance novel,” which may have been what the average reader would be seeking during such a trying time period. During this time, women were expected to take a much softer and feminine route when it comes to literature, which the novel goes against at many different points in time; for example by containing a main character, Dorothea, who breaks the typical stereotypes for the woman at that time by being exceptionally intellectual and also having a stubborn and strong-willed way about her. It also went against this expectation by a woman writing a novel with such unexpected views on marriage and the meaning behind marriage. (This is also very coincidental when one considers at this time (1854) Elliot herself was basically ostracized from her own family due to her own relationship issues.) Overall, during a time where there are so much uncertainty and misunderstanding surrounding such a serious thing as a life-threatening illness, one would expect the average reader in this time to be more inclined towards a novel that comforts their expectations and gives them a feel-good read. This book, however, contains many themes and motifs that do not coincide with the typical gender-roles and marriage values of the time, likely would make the common reader uneasy or shocked at the amount of “unrealistic” actions that did not align with the time’s societal standards.

Citations

Begum, F. (2019, May 23). Mapping disease: John Snow and Cholera. Retrieved September 11, 2020, from https://www.rcseng.ac.uk/library-and-publications/library/blog/mapping-disease-john-snow-and-cholera/

Underwood, E. A. (1971). The History of Cholera in Great Britain. Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine,41(3), 165-173. doi:10.1177/003591574804100309