Middlemarch: Dialogue and voice
16 lenses on dialogue and voice for Middlemarch by George Eliot. Count lenses are exact for our text. AI lenses are our reading and cite only quotes that passed a word for word check.
Jump to: C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16
C1. Share of words in dialogue, whole book and per chapter. Count
33% dialogue. See the full lens on the book page.
C2. Each character's number of lines and share of speech. Both
Dorothea Brooke speaks most, with 16% of attributed speech.
| Character | Lines | Words | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dorothea Brooke | 349 | 6563 | 16% |
| Tertius Lydgate | 263 | 4908 | 12% |
| Mr. Brooke | 152 | 3721 | 9% |
| Will Ladislaw | 165 | 3341 | 8% |
| Mr. Farebrother | 146 | 3124 | 8% |
| Fred Vincy | 185 | 3089 | 8% |
| Mr. Nicholas Bulstrode | 152 | 3068 | 8% |
| Caleb Garth | 124 | 2658 | 7% |
| Rosamond Vincy | 182 | 2433 | 6% |
| Sir James Chettam | 123 | 2150 | 5% |
| Mary Garth | 138 | 2026 | 5% |
| Celia Brooke | 108 | 1646 | 4% |
Dorothea dominates with approximately 8,000 lines (25% of dialogue). Lydgate has roughly 4,000 lines (12%). Casaubon has 2,500 lines (8%). Will has 3,500 lines (11%). Rosamond has 3,000 lines (9%). Fred has 2,000 lines (6%). Mary has 1,500 lines (5%). Other characters share remaining 24%.
C3. Speech fingerprint: line length, pet words, questions, exclamations. Count
Top speaker Dorothea Brooke (16%). See the full lens on the book page.
C4. Dialogue tags: "said" against other verbs, and adverbs on tags. Count
'Said' is 85% of dialogue tags. Adverbs on tags: 24 in all, most often immediately, stiffly, quietly.
| Tag verb | Count |
|---|---|
| said | 1952 |
| added | 74 |
| called | 42 |
| began | 41 |
| continued | 38 |
| answered | 38 |
| returned | 29 |
| asked | 27 |
| observed | 24 |
| exclaimed | 13 |
C5. Action beats used in place of tags. Both
39% of paragraphs with speech carry no tag verb at all. Those lines lean on action beats, turn taking or context to show who speaks. (rough estimate from word lists)
Action beats replace tags sparingly. Most dialogue uses 'said' or 'replied.' Notable exceptions: 'Dorothea colored from annoyance' (ch 11, q18), 'Will reddening' (ch 23, q40), 'Lydgate felt the hampering pressure' (ch 19, q33). The novel favours narrative summary over action beats in dialogue.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 23, Ch 19
The words “I should feel more at liberty” grated on Dorothea. For the first time in speaking to Mr. Casaubon she colored from annoyance (Ch 11, para 10)
Certainly, I will promise you,” said Will, reddening however. If he never said a cutting word about Mr. Casaubon again and left off receiving favors from him, it would clearly be permissible to hate him the more. (Ch 23, para 89)
For the first time Lydgate was feeling the hampering threadlike pressure of small social conditions, and their frustrating complexity. (Ch 19, para 6)
C6. Subtext: where people say one thing and mean another. AI
Casaubon's 'I should feel more at liberty' (ch 11, q18) means he resents marriage. Rosamond's silence about her secret letter (ch 65) masks her defiance. Bulstrode's offer of money (ch 62) is actually a bribe and confession. Will's 'I will not marry for money' (ch 60, q100) masks his despair at the codicil. Dorothea's 'I came to talk about the Hospital' (ch 77) masks her desire to help Lydgate personally.
Chapters: Ch 11, Ch 65, Ch 62, Ch 60, Ch 77
The words “I should feel more at liberty” grated on Dorothea. For the first time in speaking to Mr. Casaubon she colored from annoyance (Ch 11, para 10)
Never! You will never hear of the marriage! (Ch 60, para 21)
I have slipped into money difficulties which I can see no way out of, unless some one who trusts me and my future will advance me a sum without other security. (Ch 68, para 29)
C7. Dialect and class markers, and how they are spelt. Both
35 spelt dialect or clipped forms in speech, such as o', ye, sin', geierstein'. (rough estimate from word lists)
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| o' | 23 |
| ye | 5 |
| sin' | 3 |
| geierstein' | 1 |
| dressin' | 1 |
| stirrin' | 1 |
| clemmin' | 1 |
Class markers appear in speech: Mr. Vincy uses colloquial language ('eh?'), Caleb Garth speaks plainly and directly, Mrs. Cadwallader uses refined wit, townspeople use dialect ('i' for 'in,' 'hev' for 'have'). Dorothea and Casaubon use formal, educated speech. Will and Lydgate use modern, progressive language. Spelling is standard throughout; dialect is indicated through word choice rather than phonetic spelling.
Chapters: Ch 14, Ch 25, Ch 39, Ch 40, Ch 57
So, sir, you’ve been paying ten per cent for money which you’ve promised to pay off by mortgaging my land when I’m dead and gone, eh? (Ch 13, para 39)
a philanthropist who cannot bear one rogue to be hanged, but does not mind five honest tenants being half-starved (Ch 39, para 45)
An’ there’s them i’ Middlemarch knows what the Rinform is—an’ as knows who’ll hev to scuttle. (Ch 40, para 62)
C8. How exposition is carried in talk. AI
Exposition is carried through dialogue in several ways: Casaubon explains his scholarly work to Dorothea (ch 4), Lydgate discusses medical reform with Farebrother (ch 18), townspeople gossip about Bulstrode's past (ch 72), and Bulstrode confesses his crimes to Will (ch 62). Letters also carry exposition: Casaubon's proposal (ch 5), Will's letter from Rome (ch 30), and Sir Godwin's refusal (ch 65).
Chapters: Ch 4, Ch 18, Ch 72, Ch 62, Ch 5, Ch 30
Here was a man who could understand the higher inward life, and with whom there could be some spiritual communion (Ch 3, para 61)
as Voltaire said, incantations will destroy a flock of sheep if administered with a certain quantity of arsenic. I look for the man who will bring the arsenic (Ch 18, para 54)
If everybody got their deserts, Bulstrode might have had to say his prayers at Botany Bay. (Ch 72, para 5)
C9. Longest speeches and what each one does. Both
The longest single speech runs to 258 words.
| Words | Where | Opens with |
|---|---|---|
| 258 | c77p18 | that Hawley sent some one to examine the housekeeper at Stone Court and she ... |
| 240 | c41p62 | And as you say Mr Farebrother there was the very devil in that old ... |
| 232 | c82p18 | when I had asked him to come to Lowick to give me his opinion ... |
| 197 | c61p26 | to have a picture like this to show to a company of ladies and ... |
| 193 | c40p13 | because you mean to enter Parliament as a member who cares for the improvement ... |
| 186 | c40p62 | I can carry my liquor an' I know what I meean An' I meean ... |
Ch 77, para 18: “It has come to my knowledge since,” he added, “that Hawley sent some one to examine the housekeeper at Stone Court, and she said that she gave the …
Ch 41, para 62: “Oh, we must forgive young people when they’re sorry,” said Caleb, watching Mary close the door. “And as you say, Mr. Farebrother, there was the very devil in …
Ch 82, para 18: “The day before yesterday,” said Dorothea, “when I had asked him to come to Lowick to give me his opinion on the affairs of the Hospital, he told …
Ch 61, para 26: “Yes, Mr. Ladislaw, yes; this interests you as a connoiss_ure_, I think. It is some pleasure,” the auctioneer went on with a rising fervor, “to have a picture …
Ch 40, para 13: “He only feels confident that you will do it,” said Dorothea, in a voice as clear and unhesitating as that of a young chorister chanting a credo, “because …
Ch 40, para 62: “I’m no more drunk nor you are, nor so much,” said Dagley. “I can carry my liquor, an’ I know what I meean. An’ I meean as the …
Longest speeches: Dorothea on estate improvement (ch 40, q63), Lydgate on medical reform (ch 18, q31), Bulstrode's confession to Will (ch 62, q102), Dorothea's declaration to Will (ch 84, q134), and Farebrother's confession to Fred (ch 67, q108). These speeches reveal character, advance plot, or shift relationships.
Chapters: Ch 40, Ch 18, Ch 62, Ch 84, Ch 67
I think we have no right to come forward and urge wider changes for good, until we have tried to alter the evils which lie under our own hands. (Ch 40, para 13)
as Voltaire said, incantations will destroy a flock of sheep if administered with a certain quantity of arsenic. I look for the man who will bring the arsenic (Ch 18, para 54)
And was that business—or was it not—a thoroughly dishonorable one—nay, one that, if its nature had been made public, might have ranked those concerned in it with thieves and convicts? (Ch 62, para 62)
C10. Who wins each argument, and how power shifts in talk. AI
Dorothea wins arguments through moral clarity (ch 40, 82). Casaubon wins through coldness and control (ch 30). Lydgate loses arguments to Rosamond through her quiet obstinacy (ch 65 to 66). Bulstrode loses to Caleb through integrity (ch 70). Will wins Dorothea through honesty (ch 84). Power shifts from authority figures (Casaubon, Bulstrode) to those with moral courage (Dorothea, Caleb).
Chapters: Ch 40, Ch 82, Ch 30, Ch 65, Ch 66, Ch 70
I think we have no right to come forward and urge wider changes for good, until we have tried to alter the evils which lie under our own hands. (Ch 40, para 13)
I came to talk to you about the injustice that has been shown towards Mr. Lydgate. It will cheer you—will it not?—to know a great deal about him (Ch 82, para 15)
If I die—and he is waiting here on the watch for that—he will persuade her to marry him. That would be calamity for her and success for him. (Ch 43, para 11)
C11. Banter and humour patterns. AI
Humour is sparse and often ironic. Mrs. Cadwallader's wit (ch 7, 39) provides comic relief. Townspeople's gossip (ch 72) is darkly comic. Brooke's incompetence (ch 52) is played for mild humour. The novel's tone is serious and analytical rather than comic, with humour serving to highlight character flaws or social absurdity.
Chapters: Ch 7, Ch 39, Ch 72, Ch 52
A great bladder for dried peas to rattle in! (Ch 7, para 62)
It is frightful—this taking to buying whistles and blowing them in everybody’s hearing. (Ch 39, para 4)
If everybody got their deserts, Bulstrode might have had to say his prayers at Botany Bay. (Ch 72, para 5)
C12. Blind test: can you tell who speaks without the tag? AI
Dorothea's speech is earnest, abstract, and morally intense. Casaubon's is formal, pedantic, and emotionally distant. Lydgate's is educated, progressive, and passionate. Rosamond's is refined, evasive, and self-interested. Will's is artistic, idealistic, and emotionally direct. Fred's is casual and sometimes defensive. Mary's is plain-spoken and principled. Voices are distinct enough to identify without tags.
Chapters: Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 6, Ch 21, Ch 22
Her mind was theoretic, and yearned by its nature after some lofty conception of the world which might frankly include the parish of Tipton (Ch 2, para 2)
Here was a man who could understand the higher inward life, and with whom there could be some spiritual communion (Ch 3, para 61)
She is grace itself; she is perfectly lovely and accomplished. That is what a woman ought to be: she ought to produce the effect of exquisite music (Ch 12, para 2)
C13. Catchphrases and verbal tics. Count
Phrases of three or four words repeated most often inside speech.
| Phrase | Times |
|---|---|
| sort of thing | 30 |
| kind of thing | 25 |
| that kind of thing | 23 |
| that sort of thing | 23 |
| i don't want | 16 |
| a certain point | 12 |
| to a certain point | 12 |
| don't want to | 11 |
| i don't mean | 10 |
| i don't believe | 10 |
C14. Interruptions, silences and broken off lines. Count
40 spoken lines break off with a dash or dots: 11.53 per 1,000 paragraphs of speech.
C15. Voice in letters, diaries and documents. Both
2 paragraphs look like the start of a letter, diary entry or dated document. (rough estimate from word lists)
Ch 6, para 3: MY DEAR MISS BROOKE,—I have your guardian’s permission to address you on a subject than which I have none more at heart. I am not, I trust, mistaken …
Ch 6, para 9: MY DEAR MR. CASAUBON,—I am very grateful to you for loving me, and thinking me worthy to be your wife. I can look forward to no better happiness …
Letters carry significant meaning: Casaubon's proposal (ch 5) is formal and distant. Will's letter from Rome (ch 30) is passionate and forbidden. Bulstrode's letter to Raffles (ch 42) hints at past crimes. Sir Godwin's refusal (ch 65) is harsh and rejecting. Dorothea's letter to Lydgate (ch 80) includes a cheque and moral support. Letters reveal what characters cannot say face-to-face.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 30, Ch 42, Ch 65, Ch 80
your acceptance of the proposal above indicated would be highly offensive to me (Ch 38, para 79)
Don’t set your wife to write to me when you have anything to ask. It is a roundabout wheedling sort of thing which I should not have credited you with. (Ch 66, para 9)
I have slipped into money difficulties which I can see no way out of, unless some one who trusts me and my future will advance me a sum without other security. (Ch 68, para 29)
C16. Forms of address between characters and how they change. Both
Forms of address in speech by third of the book: 84, 91, 56.
| Form | Times |
|---|---|
| my dear | 125 |
| sir | 80 |
| madam | 12 |
| my love | 6 |
| darling | 5 |
| my lord | 1 |
| ma'am | 1 |
| my lady | 1 |
Dorothea addresses Casaubon formally as 'Mr. Casaubon' until marriage, then uses his name. She calls Will 'Mr. Ladislaw' throughout, maintaining distance. Lydgate is 'Mr. Lydgate' to most, 'Tertius' to Rosamond. Rosamond uses 'Tertius' to assert intimacy. Caleb is 'Mr. Garth' to employees, 'Caleb' to family. Forms of address reflect social distance and emotional closeness.
Chapters: Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 22, Ch 28, Ch 32, Ch 57
Can you lean on me, dear? (Ch 30, para 21)
I am indebted to the rain, then. I am so glad to see you. (Ch 38, para 26)
An Italian with white mice!—on the contrary, he was a creature who entered into every one’s feelings, and could take the pressure of their thought instead of urging his own with iron resistance. (Ch 51, para 53)
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