Topics for Further Study
- Choose a footnote from the Norton Critical Edition of Middlemarch that references a historical figure or event. Conduct in-depth research on this topic. Afterwards, compose an essay analyzing the passage in the novel that the footnote clarifies, detailing how your research enhances your comprehension of the passage and its significance to the novel overall.
- Investigate the Renaissance thinker Isaac Casaubon (1559–1614) and his cosmological theories. Write a comparative paper between him and Edward Casaubon. Conclude by discussing how this comparison provides a deeper insight into Edward Casaubon's research focus and his character.
- Refer to historical fashion books and photo histories depicting Victorian attire. Use photocopies of some images to create a poster. Select pictures that likely represent what Eliot's characters would wear in specific scenes, such as a morning dress for a middle-class woman at home, riding outfits for both genders, mourning clothes for a formal funeral, a servant's attire, and the dress of a parish priest and rector. Present to your class on Victorian fashion, comparing it to early 2000s clothing styles. Discuss how fashion influences behavior.
- Study medical advancements in England from 1830 to 1870. Begin by reviewing relevant footnotes in the Norton Critical Edition, such as those on the stethoscope, bloodletting, and fever treatments, to narrow your research. Then, write a paper evaluating Dr. Lydgate's training and expertise based on your findings.
- Research the history of grave robbers and the practice of autopsy in the nineteenth century, as well as autopsy practices in the early 2000s. Write a contrast paper explaining why autopsy was considered a crime in the early nineteenth century but is used for solving crimes in the early 2000s.
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