The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure

"The Old Adam: A Story of Adventure" by Arnold Bennett is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story follows Edward Henry Machin, a man grappling with the mundane aspects of life despite recent financial success through stock market speculation. Throughout the opening chapters, Edward navigates complex relationships with his wife, Nellie, and their family, against the backdrop of his self-reflections on wealth and happiness. The beginning of the novel introduces Edward Henry Machin as he returns home, struck by a sense of melancholy despite a recent windfall from his investments. As he enters a domestic space filled with the trappings of both comfort and chaos, Edward reflects on the burdens of his life, such as perceived negligence from his wife and children. The narrative quickly escalates into a familial crisis when his son suffers a minor dog bite, which escalates Nellie's worries about potential rabies, prompting Edward’s internal conflict about duty and desire for escapism. This opening sets the tone for a blend of familial dynamics and self-exploration as Edward seeks both change and reassurance within his relationships and financial endeavors. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Enoch Arnold Bennett was an English author, best known as a novelist, who wrote prolifically. Between the 1890s and the 1930s he completed 34 novels, seven volumes of short stories, 13 plays, and a daily journal totalling more than a million words. He wrote articles and stories for more than 100 newspapers and periodicals, worked in and briefly ran the Ministry of Information during the First World War, and wrote for the cinema in the 1920s. Sales of his books were substantial, and he was the most financially successful British author of his day.