George Eliot online

I've never understood why people would want to do this. I mean, it's not like the books are extortionately priced: £1.00 and upwards. What could be more beautiful than lying back on the old bed, the rain pattering on the window, a nice cup of coffee steaming away, and leafing through a great novel. Let's face it, the capacity for flopping out is severely limited when you are sat facing a moniter.

Well, for one you could print off the first chapter and see if it's your cup of tea before going out and spending a pound. Or it can be helpful if you need to search the novels (e.g. for an essay or project) as there is a search facility. I agree with you, I'll probably go and buy Silas Marner next week, but I've really enjoyed reading the first chapter and getting a taste of it first.

Fair enough! I was hoping that you didn't take it as some big personal critique. It's just something that I've always had a query about. I mean, can you seriously imagine typing in Bleak House? Altruism or martyrdom, you be the judge. I'm presently reading a 99p from Oxfam edition of Middlemarch, by the way.

I think that's probably the job sub-editors on regional free newspapers get seconded to when they misbehave or are consistently late for work/turn up smelling of booze, etc...! "Right - you've got one week to type 'David Copperfield' or you're fired!" I'm unsure as to whether to get Silas Marner or start Middlemarch - is it good? I'm a big fan of George's work. Have you read Adam Bede - the ending really annoyed me!

I'm afraid this is my first read of Elliot, which is strange because I do consider myself a Lit head. I tend to really like all things Victorian, but the buggers never stopped writing. In fact, I seem to remember once being told in a lecture that there were 50,000 novels printed in that era. Homework! I particularly love Dickens, hence he has taken up a fairly hefty chunk of my reading time. I recently finished David Copperfield, which has set me up for Middlemarch (both very bulky books.) I'm still reading the beginning of the novel (Miss Brooke) and am enjoying the experience. In fact I'm wondering just where the 'hard' bit is, that has stopped a few of my friends in their tracks. From what I've read so far, looks interesting. I wonder whether anyone has typed Finnegan's Wake into the Net?

Finnegan's wake is a great book man.. I like George Elliot too.. she's an amazing writer. I really love her long short story about a guy who steals his mother's guinneaus and goes off to the West Indies and his relationshiop in the story with his idiot brother Jack I think his name was, I can't remember, was a long while ago when I read that story, but I really got a lot out of it.. can't remember the title.

And I do know that it's Eliot, minus the second 'l'. No maer howe much yu reed somefin thrug the 1st tyme... Funky Seagull, are you a professor of Lit? I don't know anyone who's managed to read that book. In fact, I recommend it to anyone who wants to know what dyslexia feels like. Thank God for boffins!