A Solid Mutual Happiness : The Portrayal of Marriage in George Eliot s Middlemarch

This thesis looks into the theme of marriage in George Eliot s novel Middlemarch. It uses narrative theory to explore the power balance and happiness of the marriages through the portrayal by the narrator. The thesis proves that there is a struggle for power in all of the marriages, and that the representation of these struggles follows a clear pattern: where the power balance appears to be set, the marriages are portrayed as happy and successful, and where the power balance is not set, the marriages are portrayed as unhappy and unsuccessful The factors used are economic, emotional and intellectual power, and here the historical context has been considered. The theme of marriage has seldom been studied, and never in this particular manner, including all the marriages that are portrayed in the novel. Through this study it becomes evident that the theme of marriage is important in the novel, and that many characters have been misunderstood in the past