Hey guys! I read Middlemarch for a class and am obsessed. A new favorite classic for me. The whole book I was so annoyed by Rosamund but also recognize a large part of that is internalized misogyny. I was trying really hard to find redeeming characteristics for her (socially smart, knows what she wants, loyal to Dorothea). My class also struggled to the point my professor said “does no one have any nice things to say about Rosamund?” I wanted to know if she was anyone’s favorite character or if people had a different perspective of her. Lydgate has a lot of bad traits too but I find myself way more sympathetic to him.
I think she is naive at the beginning with no concept of how the world works. Next to being hot, that is probably the largest mitigating factor to her general behavior.