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Adam Bede
by George Eliot
Eliot's first novel about seduction, murder, and sacrifice.
Dinah Morris is a Methodist preacher staying temporarily with her aunt and uncle, the Poysners. The local carpenter, Seth Bede and his brother, Adam, work in the village at the carpentry shop. Seth loves Dinah, but she rejects his marriage proposal, and Adam loves Hetty, the niece of the Poysners. The story’s plot follows these characters in their pastoral and close-knit community of 1799 Hayslope, England.
Adam and Seth’s father, Thias, drowns in a river one night after a drunken binge, and their mother, Lisbeth, is devastated. Dinah goes to comfort her, able to help her in a way no one else can. Captain Donnithorne, army member and grandson of the local landlord and squire, is a popular and gallant man who takes a liking to Hetty after meeting her. Although Adam loves her, Hetty soon begins a flirtation with Captain Donnithorne that lasts during the summer, ending when he has to rejoin the army regiment. Hetty is not truly in love with him, but with the fantasy of being married to a wealthy and prestigious man. Once Adam learns of their affair he engages in a fight with Captain Donnithorne, which Adam wins. The captain is forced to write a letter ending his relationship with Hetty, who is crushed. She becomes engaged to Adam to escape her unhappy life. By the time Captain Donnithorne leaves Hetty is pregnant, but no one knows. Shamed and scared, she flees in search of the captain, but it is too late. On her journey back she gives birth alone, and terrified, she buries her child. By the time she comes to her senses, she has been taken into custody for the murder. During all this Adam remains at home, distraught over Hetty’s disappearance.
Adam Bede is the first novel by George Eliot (the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans) and was published in 1859. A lovely portrait of honor, love and sacrifice, it has been referred to as “the masterpiece of the century.”
Title: Adam Bede
Author: George Eliot
Publisher: Penguin Classics
ISBN: 0140431217
Review written by: Jennifer Kneisley
Reviewer's Rating:9.5
Reader's Rating: 0
Reader's Votes: 0
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