EPISODE · Jun 22, 2026 · 1H 21M
Middlemarch, part 2: Pity the man with the young hot wife
from Do You Even Lit? · host cam and benny feat. rich
"In such a crisis as this, some women begin to hate." Let's go baby, things are getting steamy. Rich isn't sure if he's turned on or terrified by Dorothea, Cam can't figure out whether he'd take blood money, and Ben is torn about whether marrying a psychopath is worth it if she's a hottie. The middle section of this 800-page whopper is a tournament of injured pride. Casaubon exits early, Will (stupidly?) can't take or give a hint, Rosamund becomes Lydgate's worst nightmare, and Fred ... somehow fumbles his way back into credibility?? Question of the ep: Is Mary Garth a stand in for George Eliot who, as it happens, was described by Henry James as "magnificently ugly, deliciously hideous." Listener mail: a non-native English speaker writes in to say Cam's sentences are hard to follow. Cam accepts the feedback with unusual grace. Full transcript for this episode (and every episode) is available at doyouevenlit.com, where you can filter and search by key ideas, authors, etc. (00:00:00) fiction as thought experiment (or: anti-thought experiment?) (00:07:44) Dorothea's arc: the crisis of rejection (00:18:00) Will Ladislaw in the vicinity (00:26:23) Bulstrode's pawnbroker past revealed (00:30:51) would you take the blood money? (00:37:40) Featherstone's will surprise — enter Rigg (00:44:45) Fred finds his feet with Caleb Garth (00:47:56) Farebrother's impossible magnanimity (00:51:36) is Mary Garth a George Eliot stand-in? (00:55:03) Lydgate and Rosamund: the marriage goes off a cliff (00:59:40) the sexual politics of Lydgate's mistake (01:06:05) listener mail: Cam gets roasted Write Us We love listener feedback. Send us a note at [email protected] to correct our hot takes, add your own, or ask a question. Next up - Finish Middlemarch - ???
What this episode covers
"In such a crisis as this, some women begin to hate." Let's go baby, things are getting steamy. Rich isn't sure if he's turned on or terrified by Dorothea, Cam can't figure out whether he'd take blood money, and Ben is torn about whether marrying a psychopath is worth it if she's a hottie. The middle section of this 800-page whopper is a tournament of injured pride. Casaubon exits early, Will (stupidly?) can't take or give a hint, Rosamund becomes Lydgate's worst nightmare, and Fred ... somehow fumbles his way back into credibility?? Question of the ep: Is Mary Garth a stand in for George Eliot who, as it happens, was described by Henry James as "magnificently ugly, deliciously hideous." Listener mail: a non-native English speaker writes in to say Cam's sentences are hard to follow. Cam accepts the feedback with unusual grace. Full transcript for this episode (and every episode) is available at doyouevenlit.com, where you can filter and search by key ideas, authors, etc. (00:00:00) fiction as thought experiment (or: anti-thought experiment?)(00:07:44) Dorothea's arc: the crisis of rejection(00:18:00) Will Ladislaw in the vicinity(00:26:23) Bulstrode's pawnbroker past revealed(00:30:51) would you take the blood money?(00:37:40) Featherstone's will surprise — enter Rigg(00:44:45) Fred finds his feet with Caleb Garth(00:47:56) Farebrother's impossible magnanimity(00:51:36) is Mary Garth a George Eliot stand-in?(00:55:03) Lydgate and Rosamund: the marriage goes off a cliff(00:59:40) the sexual politics of Lydgate's mistake(01:06:05) listener mail: Cam gets roasted Write Us We love listener feedback. Send us a note at [email protected] to correct our hot takes, add your own, or ask a question. Next up - Finish Middlemarch - ???
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Middlemarch, part 2: Pity the man with the young hot wife
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