<p>George Eliot's 'Adam Bede' is a poignant exploration of human character sketched within the pastoral setting of nineteenth-century England. Rich in its narrative depth and meticulous in its portrayal of rural life, Eliot's first major novel combines a meticulous moral sensibility with a textured examination of the complexities of love and duty. Its prose knits the intricate web of a community's life while maintaining an undercurrent of philoso...