«To see an enemy humiliated gives a certain contentment, but this is jejune compared with the highly blent satisfaction of seeing him humiliated by your benevolent action or concession on his behalf. That is a sort of revenge which falls into the scale of virtue...» (Book III: The Downfall, Chapter VII: How a Hen takes...) ~ «More helpful than all wisdom is one draught of simple human pity that will not forsake us.» (Book VII: The Final Rescue, Ch. I: The Return to the Mill) ~ #Finished: #TheMillOnTheFloss by #GeorgeEliot. • Rating: 7/10 • This #novel, full of great quotes and amazing observations on human nature and psychology as in Middlemarch, and functioning as moral compass, is about the life of #MaggieTulliver around the river Floss, the social and financial hardships her family suffered, her conflicts with her brother Tom, and love interests. Maggie's character, strong-willed and self-renunciating, through which #Eliot must have reflected some parts from her own personality, definitely breaks the conventional rules about girls. Eliot's use of natural imagery, picturesque depiction of the nature around the River Floss and the village of St. Ogg's are fascinating—it feels like she painted with magical words. Though the ending is powerful and great, the novel in general is so slow-paced and dull in many parts in my opinion that I think I will never have the patience to re-read it. ~ «Anger and jealousy can no more bear to lose sight of their objects than love...» (Book I: Boy and Girl, Ch. X: Maggie behaves worse...) ~ «‘... let us bear one another no ill-will; we shall never be young again–this world's been too many for me.’» (Book III, Ch. VIII: Daylight on the Wreck) ~ «Jealousy is never satisfied with anything short of an omniscience that would detect the subtlest fold of the heart.» (Book VI: The Great Temptation, Ch. VII) ~ «‘In their death they were not divided.’» (Book VII, Conclusion) ~ #MaryAnnEvans #MillOnTheFloss #TomTulliver #PhilipWakem #MrTulliver #MrsTulliver #LucyDeane #StephenGuest #BobJakin #MrsGlegg #englishnovel #victoriannovel #book #books #bookstagram #literature #bibliophile #justfinished #reading #read #instabook #bookworm #classics https://www.instagram.com/p/CI81kTnAwWZ/?igshid=1tlzh5mxgchyd

«... How lovely the little river is, with its dark changing wavelets! It seems to me like a living companion while I wander along the bank, and listen to its low, placid voice, as to the voice of one who is deaf and loving. I remember those large dipping willows. I remember the stone bridge.» (Book I: Boy and Girl, Chapter I: Outside Dorlcote Mill) ~ «A wide plain, where the broadening Floss hurries on between its green banks to the sea, and the loving tide, rushing to meet it, checks its passage with an impetuous embrace...» (Book I, Ch. I) ~ #CurrentlyReading: #TheMillOnTheFloss by #GeorgeEliot. The #novel focuses on the lives of and the relationship between Tom and #MaggieTulliver siblings, especially the sibling rivalry between them, as well as the hardships suffered by the family because of legal and financial problems of #MrTulliver in regard to the mill. Besides her disputes with Tom, Maggie is often criticized and neglected by her ostentatious mother, nit-picky and annoying aunts and their husbands, for being tomboy, rebellious, and, weirdly, for being dark-complexioned. The weird aunts and some of the uncles often annoyingly criticize Mr. Tulliver and Tom, too, in the midst of their distress. #Eliot's depictions of the nature around the River Floss and the village of St. Ogg's are exceptionally picturesque and charming. Though its beginning was pretty good, the novel in general is very slow-paced—I'm waiting for something interesting to happen. ~ «Iteration, like friction, is likely to generate heat instead of progress...» (Book II: School-Time, Ch. II: The Christmas Holidays) ~ «... boys' shyness only wears off in the absence of their elders.» (Book II, Ch. III: The new Schoolfellow) ~ «... the Devil takes the shape of wicked men, and walks about and sets people doing wicked things, and he's oftener in the shape of a bad man than any other...» (Book I, Ch. III: Mr. Riley gives his Advice...) ~ #MaryAnnEvans #MillOnTheFloss #TomTulliver #PhilipWakem #MrsTulliver #LucyDeane #MrsGlegg #MrWakem #BobJakin #englishnovel #victoriannovel #book #books #bookstagram #literature #bibliophile #currentread #reading #read #instabook #bookworm #classics https://www.instagram.com/p/CIs85aAgsFK/?igshid=139qqwx0beb5f

Literature is beautiful. #themillonthefloss

One of my favourite books of the 19th century. #themillonthefloss #englishliterature #georgeeliot #coffee #cappuccino