George Eliot takes the well-worn tale of a lovely dairy-maid seduced by a careless squire, and out if it creates a portrait of the lives of ordinary Midlands working people -- their labors and loves, their beliefs, their speech.

This concise supplement to George Eliot's Adam Bede helps students understand the overall structure of the work, actions and motivations of the characters, and the social and cultural perspectives of the author.