Perhaps both contemporary authors who took the name George felt they needed to disguise their gender to write in depth about the European female consciousness of the mid-1800s.

The former, George Eliot is a nom de plume for Mary Anne Evans, while George Sand is the nom de plume of Aurora Dupin.Īlthough the story necessarily involves two young men vying for the affections of one Hester ('Hetty') Sorrel, it is the woman's experiences, viewpoint and sensibilities that form the foundation of the narrative and provide color and drama. The timeless theme of love and its casualties emerges through the eyes and words of an outstanding woman novelist who is the contemporary of the French woman novelist George Sand. The reader experiences the heavy existential burden of the British countryside of the same era depicted in Thomas Hardy's dark novels, but with a lighter authorial touch. With this novel, the earliest vestiges of what may be considered feminist consciousness make an appearance in English literature. Summary by Tom Denholmįor further information, including links to online text, reader information, RSS feeds, CD cover or other formats (if available), please go to the LibriVox catalog page for this recording.įor more free audio books or to become a volunteer reader, visit love triangle roils the peaceful pastoral life of a rural English village. First published in 1859, Adam Bede has never been out of print since, which speaks volumes about its timeless quality. This is one of the greatest novels in the English language. Each is flawed, each has their own passions, each is unique, and through this great novel, Eliot put her stamp on literature and on the way we view the vagaries of character, helping us to see people as they really are. The author paints a wonderful landscape of contemporary life as it really was, and excels in the portraits of her characters. The setting is a country village in the north of England in the last years of the eighteenth century.

There’s a further love interest between Adam and beautiful lay preacher Dinah Morris. Two young men, carpenter Adam Bede and squire Captain Arthur Donnithorne, are both in love with the mercurial Hetty Sorrel.

The story centres on a pastoral love triangle. George Eliot was the pen name of Mary Ann Evans – an ironic ‘deception’ given that Adam Bede, her first novel, is written unashamedly from a feminist standpoint. LibriVox recording of Adam Bede (version 2) by George Eliot.

Adam bede by george eliot