Rebecca Mead was a wonderful speaker at last night's My Life in Middlemarch event. I think it's fair to say that all those who attended are even more inspired than before to plunge into our Big Book. For me, I loved hearing Rebecca talk about visiting former Eliot haunts, and, in one case, getting to hold Eliot's pen. Rebecca Mead is a well-traveled and sophisticated woman, but this was clearly a powerful moment for her. How lovely to see that level of passion for an author!
Our readers asked terrific questions. A (very) informal poll picked the favorite: "If you were going to have a passage from Eliot tattooed on your body, what would it be?" Clearly Rebecca is not a fan of tattoos but she had a great answer anyway. She met a teacher on the A train who used the following:
If we had a keen vision and feeling of all ordinary human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow and the squirrel’s heart beat, and we should die of that roar which lies on the other side of silence. (Middlemarch, Book 2)
The tattoo reads simply "that roar."
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| The author herself, with Subterranean's Tori standing behind. Thanks Tori! |
My absolute favorite quote from this book and just in general.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Ms Mead's talk too. She also quoted from memory the last lines of the book, which made me wonder how much of it she knows by heart.
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