''Evan Harrington'' is an 1861 novel by

George Meredith George Meredith (12 February 1828 – 18 May 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. At first his focus was poetry, influenced by John Keats among others, but he gradually established a reputation as a novelist. '' The Ord ...

, a glowing comedy of Victorian presumptions.

Setting and plot

The second of Meredith's 'mainstream' novels, the work is loosely autobiographical in inspiration; and concerns the social climbing family (three married daughters; one unmarried son) of the recently deceased tailor, Melchisedec (The Great Mel) Harrington.

Characters

Two of Meredith's most notable comic creations - The Great Mel and his daughter Louisa, the scheming Countess of Saldar - appear in the book. Among lesser comic figures are Jack Raikes and Mr Parsley. The love interest of the hero, Evan - who is urged up the social ladder by his three sisters - is Rose Jocelyn: she was taken as the epitome of mid-Victorian womanhood by the scholar

Henry Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (; 31 May 1838 – 28 August 1900) was an English utilitarian In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected i ...

.G M Young, ''Victorian England'' (London 1964) p. 155

References

Novels by George Meredith 1860 British novels Works originally published in Once a Week (magazine) {{1860s-novel-stub

Setting and plot

Characters

See also

References