Adam Bede

First published in 1859 by William Blackwood and Sons in three volumes, Adam Bede marked George Eliot's debut as a novelist and established her reputation in Victorian literature. Adam Bede was Eliot's first full-length novel, written between 1857 and 1858, and published in 1859. The book was published in three volumes, and its success led a number of imposters to claim authorship.

Adam Bede revolutionized Victorian fiction by introducing psychological realism and moral complexity previously unseen in English literature. This innovative novel carried its readers back sixty years to a time of impending change for England and the wider world. Eliot's sympathetic portrayal of working-class characters and Methodist religious practices broke new ground, while her narrative technique influenced generations of novelists.

The novel's success was so overwhelming that several people falsely claimed authorship, forcing Eliot to reveal her true identity as Marian Evans. Queen Victoria herself praised the work, and it received acclaim across Europe. The character of Dinah Morris was based on Eliot's Methodist aunt, Elizabeth Evans, who had actually ministered to a young woman condemned for infanticide. The novel's realism was frequently compared to Dutch and Flemish genre paintings, a comparison Eliot herself invited in Chapter 17.