The Mill on the Floss »

Margot Livesey, a native of Scotland, is the author of Eva Moves the Furniture, The Missing World, and Criminals. She lives in Massachusetts and London.

One of George Eliot's best-loved works, The Mill on the Floss is a brilliant portrait of the bonds of provincial life as seen through the eyes of the free-spirited Maggie Tulliver, who is torn between a code of moral responsibility and her hunger for self-fulfillment. Rebellious by nature, she causes friction both among the townspeople of St. Ogg's and in her own family, particularly with her brother, Tom. Maggie's passionate nature makes her a beloved heroine, but it is also her undoing.

The Mill on the Floss is a luminous exploration of human relationships and of a heroine who critics say closely resembles Eliot herself.

About this Series Introduction A Note on the Text I. The Mill on the Floss II. Literary and Cultural Contexts George Eliot, "The Natural History of German Life" (1856) George Eliot, "Brother and Sister" (1869) George Eliot, "Looking Inward" and "Looking Backward" from Impressions of Theophrastus Such (1879) Daniel Defoe, from Satan's Devices; or the Political History of the Devil (1726) Oliver Goldsmith, from An History of the Earth and Animated Nature (1774) G.H. Lewes, from Studies in Animal Life (1862) I