Classic
Adam Bede
by George Eliot
Summary
Steady, upright carpenter Adam Bede loves the vain, pretty Hetty Sorrel, whose secret pregnancy and desperate attempt to hide it lead to tragedy that reshapes the whole rural community around them. Eliot grounds the novel in richly detailed farm life and dialect, treating her characters' moral struggles with unusual sympathy and psychological depth. The novel's blend of realism and moral seriousness announced George Eliot as a major new voice in English fiction.
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Historical Context & Significance
Eliot published the novel in 1859 under her male pen name, and its authorship was quickly and correctly guessed despite her efforts at concealment. It sold strongly and established the reputation that carried her through her later, greater novels.