Abstract: George Eliot, an eminent female novelist in English Literature, gives ethical concern in most of her works. Her magnum opus, Middlemarch, profoundly excavates ethical egoism and altruism by depicting a mass of round characters in the Victorian eras. It demonstrates different types of egoistic and altruistic behaviors and enumerates diverse fates of individuals due to their egoism or altruism. Nevertheless, there is no description of completely absolute egoists and altruists. Thus this thesis attempts to probe into all kinds of moral behaviors and analyze them deeply from ethical prospective in order to reach a new moral standard that the work expresses. 

Key words: egoism; altruism; ethical; imagine; understand

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Different Manifestation Modes of Egoism in Middlemarch-3

2.1 Immersing Heroism of Lydgate-3

2.2 Appetitive Desire of Bulstrode-5

2.3 Pathological Academic Pursuit of Casaubon-7

3. Different Manifestation Modes of Altruism in Middlemarch-9

3.1 Responsibility for Society of Fred-9

3.2 Sympathy for Others of Dorothen-10

4. The Concurrence and Compromise of Altruism and Egoism in Middlemarch-14

4.1 The Concurrence of Altruism and Egoism in Middlemarch-14

4.2 The Compromise of Altruism and Egoism in Middlemarch-16

5. Conclusion-18

References-20