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Middlemarch · Character

Lady Chettam

Sir James's mother, a kindly but conventional dowager.

minor

Also known as Lady Chettam, the Dowager Lady Chettam, the young Lady Chettam

First appearance: iii

Lady Chettam shows up with force in LV. The page is where that presence becomes real.

Insists that a widow must wear mourning for at least a year and disapproves of premature remarriage.
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In LV: Insists that a widow must wear mourning for at least a year and disapproves of premature remarriage. Takes offense at any perceived allusion to Dorothea in her anecdote about Mrs. Beevor. Later, in LXVII: Also…

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See Lady Chettam in iii

Character Web

8 connections

A slice of how Lady Chettam sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

MPMrs. PlymdaleDBDorothea BrookeWLWill LadislawSJSir James Chet…CBCelia BrookeLCLady Chettam

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Minor townspeople, relatives, and servants
  • Local gossips and matrons
  • Protagonist
  • Middlemarch social and professional network

+3 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupEscalationClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

In this scene, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Dorothea, having just endured the humiliation…

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In the story

Lady Chettam appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Lady Chettam unlock in the free preview.

See Lady Chettam in iii