Some new short thoughts on my recent read, George Eliot's "Adam Bede". Did Adam Bede really love Hetty Sorrel? The entire novel is built on the premise that he did. But he doesn't actively court her. Everyone in town has paired them off already as a couple, or at least a couple-to-be, and both Adam … Continue reading Hetty Sorrel and Adam Bede
In George Eliot's "Adam Bede," the titular character is a "sensible" man of high principles who falls in love with Hetty Sorrel, a superficial girl who does not love or understand him. He, in turn, loves Hetty but doesn't understand her. This is a common and very human situation, as Eliot observes with extended irony: … Continue reading Female beauty in Adam Bede
I've recently read George Eliot's first novel, "Adam Bede." It's a racier novel than I had come to expect, having read "Middlemarch" and "Silas Marner". Do people still speak of "racy" novels in this day and age? Well, I considered calling it straight-up sexy, but this is still 19th century Victorian literature, and it's still … Continue reading Lonesome Dove and Adam Bede
I've checked out two excellent adaptations of George Eliot's "Silas Marner," one of them a modernization. Ben Kingsley stars in the other one, a straight adaptation of the story made by the BBC in 1985. Normally it takes me a while to get used to an actor's interpretation of a character from a novel, but … Continue reading Steve Martin, Silas Marner
Did the miser, Silas Marner, recover his faith in God? George Eliot's novel tells of a miser who hoards gold and is redeemed by taking in and raising an orphaned child. Anyone can see why such a story would be regarded as a story of faith, even a Christian story, though Eliot herself was not … Continue reading Faith in Silas Marner
It does make a difference to re-read a book after 40 years, especially if you've become a parent in that time. I was about 14 when I first read George Eliot's "Silas Marner," and I recall being moved or disturbed by many things in the story. But the mere fact that Silas raises a child … Continue reading Modern parenting in Silas Marner
I'm re-reading George Eliot's "Silas Marner," almost forty years since first reading it in grade-school. I've just started, so this post won't be a full review. I'm going to share some of the reading experience I've had thus far, both by myself and with my kids, who've shocked me a bit by asking me to … Continue reading The Weaver of Raveloe
