Students will begin by taking up the Norton edition and reading the novel through; discussion will then proceed by re-reading (along with some other materials from that edition) taking up various topics, e.g Eliot's self-presentation of her authorial aims, some important fictional choices (e.g: why a provincial town? why set the novel in 1832? etc.). Then we will consider the complex set of plots and their relation to each other. Other questions: how does the book represent itself as a model for the novel as a genre? Where does it fit in Eliot's career? There will be unexpected questions. This is the sort of course in which it is important to follow where the class leads.