Evan Harrington — Volume 2

"Evan Harrington — Volume 2" by George Meredith is a novel written during the late 19th century. The book highlights the complexities of social class and personal identity, following the main character, Evan Harrington, as he navigates the challenges posed by his family's history and societal expectations. The opening of the novel introduces us to the Aurora tavern, where an eccentric old gentleman makes his return after a month's absence, creating a stir among the regular patrons. As the story unfolds, we learn about the connections and relationships between various characters, such as the landlady and her affection for the old gentleman, while Evan's compatriots discuss his aspirations and societal standing. The scene captures the essence of human curiosity and camaraderie within a social setting, setting the stage for deeper explorations of character dynamics and the trials of Evan as he reconciles his identity with his old life in trade. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

George Meredith was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first, his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but Meredith gradually established a reputation as a novelist. The Ordeal of Richard Feverel (1859) briefly scandalised Victorian literary circles. Of his later novels, the most enduring is The Egoist (1879), though in his lifetime his greatest success was Diana of the Crossways (1885). His novels were innovative in their attention to characters' psychology, and also portrayed social change. 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". Meredith was an encourager of other novelists, as well as an influence on them; among those to benefit were Robert Louis Stevenson and George Gissing. Meredith was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times.