George Eliot 
An English Dinner of Thanksgiving 

George Eliot’s “An English Dinner of Thanksgiving” is excerpted from her 1859 novel “Adam Bede”. In it, wealthy farmer Martin Poyser throws a feast at harvest-time for his assorted workers. Much beef is eaten and much ale is drank. Lusty toasting and singing ensues and the overall mood is one of thanksgiving for the blessings of an abundant harvest. A classic story that shows that while it is an American holiday, Thanksgiving dinner is a tradition shared with other countries.

About the author

George Eliot (1819 – 1880), the pen name of Mary Ann Evans, was an English novelist, poet, journalist, and translator during the Victorian era. She authored seven novels including Adam Bede (1859), The Mill on the Floss (1860), and Middlemarch (1871-72), most of which are set in provincial England and are known for their realism and psychological insight.