Middlemarch, by common consent one of the most important novels in English, has always stimulated outstanding criticism. Over the past twenty years or so, it has also become a favourite novel for consideration by critics wishing to develop and explore new ways of looking at the novel form. The excitement and originality of such criticism is reflected fully in this volume, which presents a whole range of current ways of looking at Middlemarch. The collection as a whole, along with a clear introduction and a guide to Further Reading, also provides a fascinating sense of how criticism of the novel is a continuing debate, as critics take up and dispute received views - in the process, offering us an endlessly renewed and fresh sense of Middlemarch. The collection as a whole, along with a clear introduction and a guide to Further Reading, also provides a fascinating sense of how criticism of the novel is a continuing debate, as critics take up and dispute received views - in the process, offering us an endlessly renewed and fresh sense of Middlemarch.