March — the first official month of spring, with temperatures that can remind of winter — lands in the middle of the University’s spring semester, often serving as an awkward transitory period.
The word “march,” though, can also take on other forms — like a family name, a long procession, an infamous warning and part of a small English town. Connected by the many uses of “march,” this list of literature blends the ancient world with modern writers, stories of innocence with war and tyrants and weddings with funerals to dive into this month’s etymological diversity.
“Julius Caesar” by William Shakespeare
March (n). Proper noun, the third month of the year, following February.
“Julius Caesar,” a play written by Shakespeare around the turn of the 16th century, retells the infamous assassination plot by ancient Roman politicians Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus to murder Julius Caesar — the incumbent dictator — March 15.
In Act 1 during Caesar’s triumphant return to Rome following his defeat of Pompey the Great, a soothsayer foreshadows the eventual brutal third-act murder with the iconic line “Beware the Ides of March.” The play chronicles the assasination’s aftermath, and the eventual deaths of its organizers.
Stemming from the historical genre of the Shakespearean catalogue, the narrative occasionally details true events with creative embellishment too — the Ghost of Caesar, in actuality, did not visit the real Brutus. Readers itching for a deep dive into the breadth of the English language, metaphors and allusions to the days of the early Roman Empire or nostalgia for their high school English courses will surely find themselves scratched by this historical tale. Caesar’s March experience, of course, remains one that readers would ideally avoid themselves this month.
“The March” by E.L. Doctorow
March (v). Walking or proceeding, typically in a group
A 2005 historical fiction novel telling the story of Union General William T. Sherman's Southern "March to the Sea" near the end of the American Civil War, “The March” combines characters from all areas of the 19th century world to explore the brutality and romance of war.
Author E.L. Doctorow narrates stories of a young woman freed from slavery, a battlefield nurse, a gifted surgeon, two deserted Confederate soldiers and General Sherman himself. These depictions intersect through descriptions of the chaos and destruction in the wake of the march, including historically accurate details of the demolition of infrastructure and civilian property done in an effort to destroy Confederate resources. Across the novel, both real soldiers and fictional characters are described waging war against the Confederacy from Atlanta to Savannah, Ga.
The combination of various lived experiences throughout the social hierarchy of the South in the destruction of total war leads to a gripping, multifaceted tale about change and survival, illustrating the power a march — or, a March — might have.
“Middlemarch” by George Eliot
March (n). A borderland, frontier or buffer zone between two territories
Possessing a reputation as a masterpiece of Victorian literature, “Middlemarch” explores themes of social change, ambition and human nature primarily through the marriage of wealthy protagonist Dorothea Brooke and scholar Edward Casaubon. The novel illustrates the unwritten, socionormative rules that shaped English society and the disillusionment that failed ambitions — like Casaubon’s hiccup in producing revolutionary scholarly work — created in the eponymous fictional 19th century town.
Published in 1871, Eliot’s work also follows the intersecting plots of a wide cast of characters and couples beyond the protagonists, including other Middlemarch inhabitants like Dr. Tertius Lydgate and Rosamond Vincy who grapple with materialism and resulting financial stress in their marriage. Each character balances their idealistic images of marriage with their real experience, often making questionable personal and financial decisions. “Middlemarch” culminates with a “Finale,” where the narrator explains the impact of these choices in deciding the town members’ life stories.
Daily life, intellectual scholarship, deceit, romance and friendship converge in Eliot’s story, emphasizing the effect of an individual’s choices on the broader community. Though a solid choice to explore beautifully complex characters — especially in the middle of March — readers may later avoid small towns with March in the name given the routine scandals in “Middlemarch.”
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
March (n). Proper noun, family surname
A classic coming-of-age novel, “Little Women” chronicles the four sisters of the March family in Massachusetts during and after the American Civil War, covering the complexities of womanhood, determination, gratitude and resilience. The sisters — the generous Meg, the outspoken, bold Josephine or “Jo," quiet, tender Beth and the artistic yet selfish Amy — form quite the group, full of lofty dreams and raging laughter.
Each deals with their position in the 19th century world in their own way — Jo resents it, Meg happily falls in love and embraces domesticity, Beth plays piano and laments her housework and Amy aspires to high society. Published in 1868, Part One describes a year in their lives during the Civil War, highlighting the girls’ friendship with the neighboring boy, Laurie, Beth’s bout of scarlet fever, Meg’s engagement and Amy’s school quarrels. Parts Two and Three pick up incrementally years later to explore their development into adulthood against the background of the war. For the reader looking for a heartwarming novel this month, considering the March family is a fantastic idea.
Beyond their common spring-themed titles and references, the stories in this collection all highlight a sort of transition. From the change in power after assassination, the extreme changes brought by war, the gap between high hopes and reality and the passage from adolescence to adulthood, these stories reflect March’s status as the turning point of the semester. Whether a fan of mysterious conspiracies, love triangles or historical drama, there is something here to cover your bases — choose a favorite “march” and start reading.
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