The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian entertainment — Volume 2

"The Shaving of Shagpat; an Arabian entertainment — Volume 2" by George Meredith is a novel written in the late 19th century, reflecting the Victorian era's literary style and ambitions. The book is an adventure fantasy that follows the whimsical and satirical journey of Shibli Bagarag as he seeks to shave the enchanted Shagpat, a figure who embodies the excessive vanity and folly of a whole kingdom under the spell of his magical hair. In this volume, the narrative progresses as Shibli Bagarag becomes betrothed to the wise Noorna bin Noorka, who propels him into a series of fantastic adventures. He must obtain a magical sword from the mountains of Aklis, defeat the powerful Shagpat, and overcome various sorcerous challenges. The story intricately weaves themes of love, ambition, and the pursuit of greatness as Shibli navigates his quest, aided by his betrothed and a range of magical and whimsical characters. The vibrant language and humor attract readers, while the underlying commentary on vanity and ambition resonates with timeless relevance. (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.