| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立中正大學 === 外國語文研究所 === 93 === There are many scholars discussing George Eliot’s Middlemarch from various angles. However, generally speaking, they do not pay much attention to the issue of marriage in the text. Therefore, this thesis explores the subject, “marriage,” from three perspectives, the Victorian society, the author’s personal life experience, and the text, Middlemarch. Chapter One analyzes women’s transformation in the Victorian society from the traditional “Angel in the House” into the novel “New Woman” and the possible causes of this transformation. Chapter Two explores George Eliot’s background to see how she subverts the traditional image of the “Angel in the House” and how she creates great achievements in English literature because of the encouragement from her companionate mate. Chapter Three studies how Middlemarch reflects traditional values about marriage and how these values put various constraints on this female role as wives. George Eliot presents these old values and constraints through various characters’ expectations and struggles in their marriage. Chapter Four explores how Middlemarch, in addition to presenting old values, reflects new values of marriage. George Eliot subverts some old values, develops some new values and shows the influence of companionate marriage on women. Marriage in Middlemarch, therefore, carries important messages about Victorian women’s struggles and transformation.
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