Adam Bede

‘Examineyourwordswell,andyouwillfindthatevenwhenyouhavenomotivetobefalse,itisaveryhardthingtosaytheexacttruth,evenaboutyourownemmediaitefeelings.'AdamBede(1859),GeorgeEliot'sfirstfull-lengthnovel,markedtheemergenceofanartisttorankwithScottandDickens.SetintheEnglishMidlandsoffarmersandvillagecraftsmenattheturnoftheeighteenthcentury,thebookrelatesastoryofseductionissuingin'theinwardsufferingwhichistheworstformofNemesis'.Butitisalsoarichandpioneeringrecord-drawingonintimateknowledgeandaffectionatememory-ofaruralworldthatwehavelost.Themovementofthenarrationbetweensocialrealismandreflectiononitsownprocesses,theexplorationofmotives,andtheconstantauthorialpresenceallbespeakanartthatstrivestoconnectthefictionalwiththeactual.