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Cover of The Mill on the Floss

Classic Fiction

The Mill on the Floss

by George Eliot

The lives of two young people are thrown into disarray when their father, the owner of a mill, is bankrupted by an unwise legal dispute.

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First published
1860
Length
207,641 words
Reading time
About 14 hr 26 min
Language
English (UK)

About the book

Published in 1860, The Mill on the Floss was the second novel published by George Eliot (the pen name of Mary Ann Evans). Set in the late 1820s or early 1830s, it tells the story of two young people, Tom and Maggie Tulliver, from their childhood into early adulthood. Their father, Jeremy Tulliver, owns Dorlcote Mill on the river Floss, and the children grow to adolescence in relative comfort. However Mr. Tulliver is litigious and initiates an unwise legal suit against a local solicitor, Mr. Wakem. The suit is thrown out and the associated costs throw the Tulliver family into poverty, and they lose possession of the mill.

The main character of the novel is Maggie Tulliver, an intelligent and passionate child and young woman, whose mental, romantic, and moral struggles we follow closely. As in Eliot’s other novels, the author shows a realistic and sympathetic understanding of human behavior.

The Mill on the Floss is regarded as a classic of English literature, and has been made into both a film and a television series.

First published 1860; the Read4Max reading text contains approximately 207,641 words arranged in 66 navigable sections.

About the author

George Eliot

George Eliot (1819–1880) is described by Wikidata as English novelist, essayist, poet and journalist (1819–1880), with citizenship or national association recorded as United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

Recorded occupations include novelist, translator, philosopher, writer, poet, and journalist. Languages recorded for George Eliot include English and German. The structured record associates George Eliot with literary realism. Wikidata lists The Mill on the Floss, Silas Marner, Middlemarch, Daniel Deronda, Adam Bede, and Romola among George Eliot's notable works. Open Library identifies The Mill on the Floss as a leading work in its author record. Open Library catalogs 1789 works under this author record. The Read4Max catalog currently includes Daniel Deronda, Middlemarch, Silas Marner, and The Mill on the Floss under George Eliot's authorship.

1819–1880

Reading options

  • A complete text with direct section navigation in the browser reader.
  • A downloadable EPUB for phones, tablets, desktop reading apps, and compatible ereaders.
  • Book and contributor metadata are checked against the source edition before indexing.

Themes and ideas

  • England
  • Psychological fiction
  • Young women
  • Love stories
  • Domestic fiction
  • Brothers and sisters
  • Conflict of generations
  • Vendetta

Table of contents

Open reader
Show all 66 sections
  1. Book I
  2. I
  3. II
  4. III
  5. IV
  6. V
  7. VI
  8. VII
  9. VIII
  10. IX
  11. X
  12. XI
  13. XII
  14. XIII
  15. Book II
  16. I
  17. II
  18. III
  19. IV
  20. V
  21. VI
  22. VII
  23. Book III
  24. I
  25. II
  26. III
  27. IV
  28. V
  29. VI
  30. VII
  31. VIII
  32. IX
  33. Book IV
  34. I
  35. II
  36. III
  37. Book V
  38. I
  39. II
  40. III
  41. IV
  42. V
  43. VI
  44. VII
  45. Book VI
  46. I
  47. II
  48. III
  49. IV
  50. V
  51. VI
  52. VII
  53. VIII
  54. IX
  55. X
  56. XI
  57. XII
  58. XIII
  59. XIV
  60. Book VII
  61. I
  62. II
  63. III
  64. IV
  65. V
  66. VI
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