Adam Bede, Realism, the Past, and Readers in 1859
Abstract
This article gives an account of the immediate publication context of George Eliot’s first novel, Adam Bede, in terms of competing opportunities for leisure, anxieties about the reading of fiction, the publishing industry, and the social and political context of February 1859. It examines the way in which the novel engages with its first readers, specifically through its treatment of the experience of reading fiction, and the ways in which Adam Bede differs from readers’ previous experiences. The article argues that the novel’s impact is determined by its engagement with the past of its setting, and by the ways it which it encourages a historically-nuanced appreciation in its readers, and that these factors are integral to Eliot’s articulating a new form of realist fiction.
Presentato: 14 Novembre 2019 | Accettato: 21 Novembre 2019 | Pubblicato 09 Marzo 2020 | Lingua: en
Keywords Geraldine Jewsbury • Popular theatre • Mudie’s leisure • George Eliot • Adam Bede • Queen Victoria • Realism
Copyright © 2019 Gail Marshall. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/EL/2420-823X/2019/01/002