Diana of the Crossways — Volume 4

"Diana of the Crossways — Volume 4" by George Meredith is a novel written in the late 19th century that continues the story of Diana Warwick, a complex character navigating the challenges of love, societal expectations, and personal ambition. The narrative addresses themes of gender, class, and political dynamics, reflecting the social mores and intricacies of the period through Diana's relationships and decisions. The beginning of this volume opens with a series of letters exchanged among characters that hint at rising tensions surrounding health, relationships, and social status. Lady Wathin seeks reassurance about her cousin's condition, revealing a web of social connections and rivalries. We are introduced to the characters' perceptions of Diana, focusing on her prowess as a writer and her intricate relationships, particularly with Percy Dacier. The dialogue hints at political undertones, and Diana's internal conflicts are highlighted through her friendships and romantic entanglements, setting the stage for critical developments in her life and the lives of those around her. This opening effectively establishes the novel's exploration of personal and societal crises as the characters engage in witty and revealing banter. (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.