A bestseller from the moment of publication, Adam Bede, although on one level a rich and loving re-creation of a small community shaken to its core, is more than a charming, faultlessly evoked pastoral. However much the reader may sympathize with Hetty Sorrel and identify with Arthur Donnithorne, her seducer, and with Adam Bede, the man Hetty betrays,it is George Eliots's creation of the distant aesthetic whole - the complex, multifarious life of Hayslope - which so grips the reader's imagination. As Stephen Gill comments: 'Reading the novel is a process of learning simultaneously about the world of Adam Bede and the world of Adam Bede.'
MY THOUGHTS:
For so long I allowed the bleak sounding blurb to influence my decision not to pick up this book, but the fact that it took its earliest readers by storm, selling over 5000 copies within a fortnight, convinced me I was being too hasty. If these Victorians were onto something good, I didn't want to miss out.
This was George Eliot's debut novel, making her a pioneer and master of psychological fiction that delves into the nitty gritty of people's motivations. It also establishes her as a novelist who focuses on 'low life' and humble folk. Eliot's fondness for normal, working class people shines through the pages. I believe she does for them with words what artists such as Rembrandt and Vermeer did with painted images of noble-hearted commoners just getting on with their day.
The setting is the fertile pastoral village of Hayslope and the year is 1799, so we get to witness the turn into the nineteenth century. The split between the established, complacent Anglicans and the enthusiastic, full-on Methodists is wide and controversial. A type of feudalism exists in English villages, and of course, the political backdrop is war with France.
Decisive, hard-working and extremely principled young carpenter, Adam Bede, is devastated to discover two people he loves and trusts most in the world having an illicit affair. One is Hetty Sorrel, the pretty girl Adam intends to propose to, and the other is Arthur Donnithorne, the boyish young squire whose family owns the land on which the Bedes and several others live. 20-year-old Arthur is a favourite with the whole community, who all eagerly anticipate the demise of his crusty old grandfather so he can become landlord.
We readers, who are granted access into Hetty's and Arthur's headspaces as well as Adam's, sense the bombshell coming and grit our teeth waiting for the fall out. Hetty is the early nineteenth century version of a material girl, self-focused and shallow. And Arthur has so internalized the notion that he's a good guy who always falls on his feet, he can't help vacillating between guilt and desire when it comes to forbidden fruit.
But back around 1800, mistakes of immaturity were not merely awkward but catastrophic. Inevitably, their forbidden romance brings down a ton of trouble on many people. Since social structure is rigid, these two kids are playing with fire.
I really like the potential 4th corner of this lovers triangle, preacher girl Dinah Morris, whose eyes were 'shedding love rather than observations.' She acts out of a servant heart, quietly making the world a better place. This girl genuinely seems to consider the world's dirty work a refreshing privilege. I love how Dinah's aunt remarks that their comfortable family is probably not 'needy' enough to receive a longed-for visit from her niece.
Don't even get me started on the potential 5th corner, Adam's gentle and dreamy brother Seth, always in his brother's shadow and seemingly quite content to be there. Sometimes it seems everybody in this story is deeply in love with somebody who happens to be looking elsewhere. Forget the love triangle, this is a love pentagon.
I've got to say, I willingly immersed myself in all the drama. Eliot's friend, Mrs Carlyle, reputedly said, 'Its as good as going to the country for one's health. I found myself in charity with the whole human race when I laid it down.' I tend to agree with her. Secondary characters such as the outrageously misogynistic Bartle Massey and blunt Mrs Poyser help make it a fun and lovable read.
Eliot's prose is beautiful to read. And the contrast between inflexible Adam and indecisive Arthur makes a fascinating study. Both young men need to make course corrections to come to some sort of middle ground, although neither realise it from the start. I consider it a sort of bromance that went rocky for a while.
It's the sort of hefty English classic that immerses us deep into the psyches of these characters by shining light into the minutiae of their days, whereas modern authors are often told to scrap anything that doesn't directly drive the plot forward. The evening of Arthur's 21st birthday party alone takes up a full five chapters! Books are faster moving these days. We can't always add to our stories all the cool, psychological nuances Eliot was famous for, because we aren't allowed to!
But hey, at least we still have access to Eliot's books. I heartily recommend this one. Within these pages both Adam and Dinah are committed to making the world a better place, in their own small way, for having passed through. And their author, Eliot, did the same thing in her special way by writing this novel. I'll finish off with this coloured picture in a book of mine which I believe evokes perfectly the background and time period of the novel, and also Eliot's conception of Dinah Morris.
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