Characters

• Adam Bede: The protagonist, a skilled carpenter known for his integrity and intelligence. He is in love with Hetty Sorrel.
• Hetty Sorrel: A beautiful but vain young woman who works on her uncle's farm. She becomes romantically involved with Arthur Donnithorne.
• Arthur Donnithorne: The young squire's grandson and heir, charming but irresponsible. He seduces Hetty, leading to tragic consequences.
• Dinah Morris: Hetty's cousin, a beautiful and virtuous Methodist preacher. She eventually marries Adam Bede.
• Seth Bede: Adam's younger brother, also a carpenter but less skilled. He initially has feelings for Dinah.
• Lisbeth Bede: Adam and Seth's mother, an anxious but vigorous old woman.
• Martin Poyser: Hetty's uncle, who runs Hall Farm with his wife, Rachel.
• Reverend Adolphus Irwine: The local rector, known for his patience and tolerance.
• Bartle Massey: The local schoolteacher who taught Adam, known for his misogynistic views.
• Squire Donnithorne: Arthur's grandfather and owner of the local estate.

Quick facts

• Adam Bede was George Eliot's first full-length novel, published in 1859 when she was 39 years old.
• The novel was published under the pen name George Eliot, even though the author, Mary Ann Evans, was already a well-known scholar and writer. Eliot based parts of the story on a real-life incident told to her by her aunt, who was a Methodist preacher.
• Eliot described Adam Bede as “a country story full of the breath of cows and scent of hay."
• The story is set in 1799 in the fictional rural village of Hayslope.
• Charles Dickens praised the novel's authentic portrayal of country life.
• Adam Bede was an immediate bestseller upon publication and has remained in print ever since.
• The novel deals with themes of love, seduction, and infanticide—controversial topics for its time.
• Eliot was influenced by Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads in her detailed observations of rural folk.
• A silent film adaptation was made in 1918.
• In 1991, the BBC adapted Adam Bede into a television series starring Iain Glen and Patsy Kensit.

About the author

Mary Ann Evans (1819-1880), better known by her pen name George Eliot, was one of the leading English novelists of the Victorian era. She adopted a male pseudonym to ensure her works would be taken seriously and to shield her unconventional private life from public scrutiny. Eliot wrote seven novels, including classics like Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), and Middlemarch (1872), which are renowned for their realism, psychological insight, and detailed portrayal of English provincial life.

Eliot's personal life was considered scandalous for her time. She lived for over 20 years with a married man in an openly acknowledged relationship, which caused her to be ostracized by much of society. Despite this, she became one of the most popular and respected authors of her day. Her works often explored themes of social outcasts, religious skepticism, and the struggles of ordinary people in rural England.

As a highly educated and intellectually curious woman, Eliot was influenced by German philosophy and worked as a translator and journalist before turning to fiction. Her first published work was an English translation of David Strauss's controversial book The Life of Jesus, Critically Examined. This background informed the philosophical and ethical explorations in her novels, which grappled with complex moral dilemmas and social issues. Her work has had a lasting impact, influencing writers like Virginia Woolf and continuing to be adapted for film and television.