Dorothea is depicted as an unconventional female character who does not enjoy playing the music instrument and material life, but rather knowledge and wisdom. However, at the same time, she constantly reflects her sense of inferiority to Mr. Casaubon. How does this reflect the author’s construction of femininity in Dorothea as a character?

I thought I had posted the question yesterday. Sorry for the delay!

Does Dorothea have the wrong notion of marriage/love?

In chapter I we read that Dorothea seems to have a naive notion of marriage, that an ideal husband should be a fartherly figure who can teach you things and give guidance instructing how to lead your life. Can she find true happiness in this 'version' of marriage, without consideration for the mutual romantic feelings and the union of minds between two lovers?

Sorry for the delay, I posted it on the wrong place.

What role does the narrator play in the tension (i.e. exacerbating/ briding etc.) between Dorothea's intellectual pursuit and the reality of her position as a woman bound by expectations of marriage and servitude? 

Dorothea sees her relationship to Casaubon not only as lovers, but more as a teacher and a student, or a disciple to a God. Some hints of servitude can also be seen. (“Kissing his unfashionable shoe ties as if he were a Protestant Pope”, “as Milton’s daughters did to their father”) What is Eliot trying to convey through their unique dynamic?