Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot examines a fictitious Midlands town in the nineteenth century that is going through modern developments. New scientific approaches to medicine cause public debate; the projected Reform Bill promises political transformation; the construction of railroads transforms both the physical and cultural landscape; and scandal lurks behind respectability. The novel's intricately drawn main characters-the idealistic Dorothea Brooke, the ambitious Dr. Lydgate, the wasteful Fred Vincy, and the loyal Mary Garth-play out the quiet drama of ordinary lives and poor decisions. Will Ladislaw, the lively nephew of Dorothea Casaubon's husband, the Rev. Edward Casaubon, and the evil John Raffles, who poses a threat to reveal one of the town's elite's hidden past, cause more disruption to the equilibrium of the community.