Gwendolen is such a complex, realistic, well written character and you find yourself feeling a full range of emotions as you experience her story - disgust at her selfishness, admiration at her unwillingness to marry just to become known as "Mrs X" and her desire to live her own life, and finally sadness for how she is unable to fulfill her dreams. I often found myself comparing her to Lily in House of Mirth, which I also love. I know Middlemarch is Eliot's masterpiece, but I enjoyed this much more.