Customer Reviews

Egoist, The

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This novel was written, and takes place in, 19th Century England. 'The Egoist' is Sir Patterne, a well to do gent in search of a wife. After being jilted once, he pursues Miss Clara Middleton. The majority of the novel takes a look at their engagement, and her doubts about it. There is a wealth of clever dialog to be found in this novel, much of which stays with the reader (or at least this one) well after the last page is turned. Most of the comedy comes from Meredith's exposing of the Egoist (of which there is more than one in this novel).

Miss Middleton actually has the attention of a few men, and this adds to both the drama and comedy of the novel. A sample of the witty dialog should be provided so you may decide whether to get this book. A friend of Clara's gets wind of her doubts. He can't come right out and let her know, but he hints at it. He starts off by informing her that he 'has written half an essay on honeymoons'. She responds by asking 'whether that is the same as a half written essay'. He tells her 'that it is, except that my essay is completely told, but just from one side.' 'And which side is that' she asks. 'The grooms' he replies.

So I would suggest that you give this novel a try, especially if you like 19th century writers.

Meredith's masterpiece has been unjustly neglected in recent years, although it is one of the funniest novels in the English canon. If you like the comedies of Trollope and Austen, Meredith is a real treat (although his style is much more mannered, and his approach more difficult to appreciate, than either Trollope's or Austen's). The genius of THE EGOIST is not only in exposing Sir Willoughby's faults, and Clara's mounting panic as she can't maneuver her way out of her engagement, but in its serious appraisal of the difficulties faced by Victorian women in their limited possibilities after childhood. Meredith was an enormous influence on the later modernists, such as Woolf, Joyce, and particularly Forster, but although they more often mention THE ORDEAL OF RICHARD FEVERAL as Meredith's keystone text THE EGOIST is the one to enjoy.

In "Decay of Lying", Oscar Wilde's essay in dialogue form, he discusses George Meredith:

"if the man's fine spirit did not revolt against the noisy assertions of realism, his style would be quite sufficient of itself to keep life at a respectful distance"

It is a wonderful summary of Meredith, particularly in the case of The Egoist. The novel combines some really interesting and impressive realism of character with a style that is almost opaque-- a style that requires some adjustment for the modern reader. It certainly took me a quite a few pages to get used to the diction of Meredith as an author. In particular, the seemingly endless and theatrical dialogue sections were often difficult.

This said, once I stopped fighting the style and really let myself read the book, I was very glad that I did. The plot is perhaps a little bit thin for the number of pages (602 pages of small print!) but that only gives Meredith room to develop the characters. He does that through his use of dialogue; he teaches us with our ear what these characters are like and who they really are.

Willoughby (the Egoist) is a character who should be familiar to virtually every woman alive. He wraps himself in a pretense of romance in a way that only serves to disguise his need for control. The two women, Clara and Laetitia, are both bound by the possibilities of their time and both learn to be realists rather than romantics when faced with the Egoist. The interplay between the three is delighful, and often genuinely very funny. When I first started the book, I would not have believed that I would ever laugh out loud reading it, but there were several moments where I did just that.

In short, a really good read. Meredith deserves his reputation-- both for his skill and for the effort needed to enjoy the work. Pair this book with The Way We Live Now by Trollope, and you have a nice look at the choices of the Victorian woman as seen by the male writers of the day.

THE EGOIST is a novel that seems to wish to place the "egoist" of the title as the dramatic center, but in his utter flatness and predictability, Sir Willoughby Patterne emerges as hardly more than the pun on his name indicates. Sir Willoughby is a totally, self-centered egoist who exits George Meredith's book just as he enters it. He is what we would today call a "player." His attitudes toward women and the responsibilities of betrothal customs are the stuff of exaggerated comic opera. He is engaged to Constantia Durham, who promptly shows good sense by dumping him for Harry Oxford. Such a brush-off only bruises his fragile ego, a situation than can be cured only by getting involved with another adoring woman. Enter Laetitia Dale, who has long loved him. They court, building up moderate suspense as to his intentions. Then, quite inexplicably, Sir Willoughby takes off for parts unknown, promising to return some day. Three years later, he returns, bringing with him his cousin Vernon Whitford. Laetitia expects Sir Willoughby to pick up where he left off, and this he does, but in his own way, not hers. He begins to court Clara Middleton, who, like the earlier Constantia soon realizes that Sir Willoughby and monogamy are not synonymous. She plans to dump him too, but is unwilling to disobey her father who has arranged the marriage because of his fondness for Sir Willoughby's wine. Clara can break off the engagement only according to the rules of the game which demand that she prove that he broke the rules first. Sir Willoughby gives her the needed proof when he switches affection back to Laetitia. Clara's betrothal is broken, and when Laetitia agrees to marry him, she makes it clear that she does so not for love but for money.

All of the above is less an interesting plot than the logical working out of the predictable character of Sir Willoughby, who bears more than a passing resemblance to the equally pontifical Mr. Collins from PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. By default, the reader is forced to look elsewhere for someone to carry the burden of saying and doing interesting things. This task falls to Clara Middleton, who has to use her wits to balance breaking an undesirable betrothal to a comic store Lothario and not offending her stern father who wants the marriage to proceed. The entire novel is geared toward setting up the details so that Sir Willoughby gets his richly deserved comic comeuppance. Readers today may find many of the passages excessively ornate and lushly imaged a not unsurprising event when one considers that Meredith thought of himself primarily as a poet who wrote novels to pay the bills. Still, there are enough moments of comic opera to warrant a limited "thumbs up."

I read The Egoist in college and have reread it a few times since. Its style is at times a bit wearying, but it's a wonderful portrait of egotism, indecision, self-deception and other human foibles. In the end, it's a very enjoyable and satisfying read.