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174 p. 20 cm

1Egoist

By George Meredith

<em>The Egoist</em> is a tragi-comical novel by George Meredith published in 1879. The novel recounts the story of self-absorbed Sir Willoughby Patterne and his attempts at marriage; jilted by his first bride-to-be, he vacillates between the sentimental Laetitia Dale and the strong-willed Clara Middleton. More importantly, the novel follows Clara's attempts to escape from her engagement to Sir Willoughby, who desires women to serve as a mirror for him and consequently cannot understand why she would not want to marry him. Thus, <em>The Egoist</em> dramatizes the difficulty contingent upon being a woman in Victorian society, when women's bodies and minds are trafficked between fathers and husbands to cement male bonds. (Summary from Wikipedia)

2Shaving of Shagpat

By George Meredith

The novel is a humorous oriental romance and allegory written in the style of the Arabian Nights. Like its model, it includes a number of stories within the story, along with poetic asides. (Summary by Wikipedia.) <br/><br/> “The variety of scenes and images, the untiring evolution of plot, the kaleidoscopic shifting of harmonious colours, all these seem of the very essence of Arabia, and to coil directly from some bottle of a genie. Ah! what a bottle!” -Edmund Gosse in <a href="http://librivox.org/gossip-in-a-library-by-edmund-gosse/">Gossip in a Library</a>

3Master-Knot of Human Fate

By Ellis Meredith

A tale of two people, and their search for answers to unknown questions. Adam and Robin find themselves inexplicably alone after an apparent natural cataclysm, and are compelled to learn how to survive, how to endure, but most importantly to themselves, how to enjoy, understand their new roles in life, and understand each other. (Introduction by Roger Melin)

4Diana of the Crossways

By George Meredith

Inspired by the real life story of Caroline Norton, a friend of the author's, this book tells about a lively woman who is trapped in a miserable marriage. Yet Diana is not one to give up in her quest for love, happiness and fulfillment. - Summary by Stav Nisser

5Reading of Life, with Other Poems

By George Meredith

This is a volume of poetry by George Meredith. The first four poems are the cycle A Circle of Life, the rest of the poems are miscellaneous collected poems. - Summary by Carolin

6Ordeal of Richard Feverel

By George Meredith

After his wife's desertion, Sir Austin wants to bring up his son according to a strict educational system governing every aspect of his life. However Richard has to make his own mistakes, fall in love, and generally live his own life. This book tells about the clashes between Richard's wish to govern his own life to his father's constant interference. This book was very influential. The leading libraries of the day considered it too frank and sexually explicit and refused to buy it. Later authors including E. M. Forster, Oscar Wilde and Virginia Woolf admired and respected it. - Summary by Stav Nisser and Wikipedia

7Lucifer in Starlight

By George Meredith

LibriVox volunteers bring you 14 recordings of Lucifer in Starlight, by George Meredith.<br> This was the Weekly Poetry project for July 4th, 2021. <br> ------<br> George Meredith OM was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first, his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but he gradually established a reputation as a novelist. His style, in both poetry and prose, was noted for its syntactic complexity; Oscar Wilde likened it to "chaos illumined by brilliant flashes of lightning". (Wikipedia)

This is a 50-poem sequence of 16-line sonnets, divided into 10 sections. It has been called "a novelette in sonnet form". The author, George Meredith, pours his heart out in raw anguish, pain, and heartbreak, as he recalls the moments, and sometimes intimate memories of his wife who deserted him for another lover. (Summary by Laur)