Evan Harrington — Volume 5

"Evan Harrington — Volume 5" by George Meredith is a novel written during the late 19th century. The book explores themes of social class, identity, and the intricacies of love and relationships, particularly focusing on the character of Evan Harrington, a young tailor caught between his humble origins and his romantic aspirations. At the start of this volume, we meet Mrs. Mel and her family, whose lives are disrupted by news regarding Evan's behavior at a noble house, where he has falsely passed himself off as a gentleman engaged to a wealthy heiress. Mrs. Mel's confrontations and reflections after receiving a letter from Mr. Goren set the stage for the unfolding drama as she embarks on a journey to rectify Evan's situation. Meanwhile, Evan grapples with feelings of inadequacy and societal expectations as he navigates his love for Rose, the daughter of Lady Jocelyn, highlighting the contrasts between his background and the noble circles he aspires to enter. The interactions among the characters paint a vivid picture of societal norms and the challenges of romance amidst class distinctions. (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.