Evan Harrington

by George Meredith

Long after the hours when tradesmen are in the habit of commencing business, the shutters of a certain shop in the town of Lymport-on-the-Sea remained significantly closed, and it became known that death had taken Mr. Melchisedec Harrington, and struck one off the list of living tailors.

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Novels

488 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1861

About the author

George Meredith of Britain wrote novels, such as The Ordeal of Richard Feverel (1859), and poetic works, including Modern Love (1862).

During the Victorian era, Meredith read law, and people articled him as a solicitor, but shortly after marrying Mary Ellen Nicolls, a 30-year-old widowed daughter of Thomas Love Peacock, in 1849 at 21 years of age, he abandoned that profession for journalism.

He collected his early writings, first published in periodicals, into Poems, which was published to some acclaim in 1851. His wife left him and their five-year old son in 1858; she died three years later. Her departure was the inspiration for The Ordeal of Richard Feverel (1859), his first "major novel." It was considered a breakthrough novel, but its sexual frankness caused a scandal and prevented it from being widely read.

As an advisor to publishers, Meredith is credited with helping Thomas Hardy start his literary career, and was an early associate of J. M. Barrie. Before his death, Meredith was honored from many quarters: he succeeded Lord Tennyson as president of the Society of Authors; in 1905 he was appointed to the Order of Merit by King Edward VII.

His works include: The Shaving of Shagpat (1856), Farina (1857), Vittoria (1867) and The Egoist (1879). The Egoist is one of his most enduring works.

Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

George^Meredith

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Our first novelist" Meredith as caricatured by Max Beerbohm in Vanity Fair, September 1896

Description: Evan Harrington is one of the most amusing of Victorian novels, a brilliant comedy of manners. Evan is the son of a tailor, and the novel deals with the problems arising from the social prejudice and class distinctions which obstruct his upward progress. His father, nicknamed 'the great Mel', 'the Marquis, had a style and presence which had enabled him to mix with the bucks and grandees of the Regency on equal terms, even though, when challenged, he never pretended to be other than he was. Mel's children have inherited his characteristics in different ways; the two sisters have made 'good' marriages, though the eldest is unhappy in her role, while the younger revels in her status as the wife of a Portuguese count. It is her energetic efforts to make a grand marriage for Evan and to conceal his humble origins that lead to complex difficulties and to devious intrigues. Evan has all his father's charm but none of his sister's ambition, but he proves himself worthy of his charming bride. All eventually turns out well; he wins her hand and social acceptance, but Meredith ends the book with an amused cynicism about the morality and conventions of his times.

Opening: CHAPTER I. ABOVE BUTTONS: Long after the hours when tradesmen are in the habit of commencing business, the shutters of a certain shop in the town of Lymport-on-the-Sea remained significantly closed, and it became known that death had taken Mr. Melchisedec Harrington, and struck one off the list of living tailors.

Larks but this is amusing. I sniff a waft of Lear's daughters at times.

LATER: I thought this would evolve into something really worthwhile yet it stayed at the same level and I lost interest.

George Meredith's home at Box Hill, where much of his work was written

George Meredith in middle age

The Death of Chatterton by Henry Wallis, Birmingham version, for which Meredith posed in 1856

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4434

[Wanda]

18 OCT 2015 - reading with the 19th Century Literature Group at Yahoo. These folks read fantastic books (and deeply enrich my reading experience).

I downloaded the complete all-in-one edition from iBooks.

Evan Harrington may also be found here for free: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4434

23 OCT 2015 - I am saddened to say that I just cannot continue with this book. While I am reading Evan Harrington, I enjoy the story tremendously. However, I set it aside for a night and do not want to pick Evan back up. Honestly, I think this is just not the right time for Mr Harrington and I to spend time together. So, like a blind date (remember those?), I will say "Thank you; but, not right now."

[Laura]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

[Jim Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

George Meredith has the dubious distinction of being the most critically heralded Victorian writer to fall into obscurity. He is a comedic writer in the vein of Dickens and Thackeray, but also a deep thinker and artist not afraid to touch upon sensitive topics (in this novel he covers unwed mothers, adultery, spousal abuse, and the treatment of women) that remind me of both Hardy and Gissing. While critics and fellow writers tended to love him, the general public never fully invested in his work, and it has all but languished since the 1920’s. All of Meredith’s strengths and weaknesses are evident in Evan Harrington, an almost 500-page novel about class in Victorian England. The Harringtons are children of a tailor who acted as though he were a lord. This trait was passed on to his four children. All of his daughters did well--one married a Portuguese count, one a rich brewer (who unfortunately is of low birth, but who funds them all), and the third a military officer (who beats her). Now it is their turn to help their little brother capture the heart and fortune of the somewhat flighty and superficial heiress Rose Jocelyn. The book is packed with minor characters and subplots, and sometimes the action leaves you scratching your head, but the scenes (especially those with the haughty and strategically brilliant countess) are hilarious.

[Evan McB · Rating 4 out of 5]

Top-notch entry into that esteemed category of fiction, Victorian era British comedy, in which manners are king and the euphuists rule with velvet gloves. The titular Evan here is one born to serve in a snipocracy, but who not-so-secretly aspires to the good life, sampled at Beckley Court and in the arms of his true love, the precieuse Rose Jocelyn. Will the Amadis de Lymport find his natural station and secure Rose's hand through mellifluous intervention? Would that it were so simple.