The Ordeal of Richard Feverel: A History of a Father and Son

The Ordeal of Richard Feverel: A History of a Father and Son by George Meredith, 1859.Sir Austin Feverel's wife deserts him to run away with a poet, leavingher husband to bring up their boy Richard. Believing schools to becorrupt, Sir Austin, a scientific humanist, educates the boy at home. This involvesstrict authoritarian supervision of every aspect of the boy's life, andin particular the prevention of any meeting between Richard and girlsof his own age. Richard nevertheless meets and falls in love with LucyDesborough, the niece of a neighboring farmer. Sir Austin finds outand, disapproving of her humble birth, forbids them to meet again, butthey secretly marry. Sir Austin now tries to retrieve the situation bysending Richard to London. Here, however, Sir Austin's friend LordMountfalcon successfully sets a courtesan to seduce Richard, hopingthat this will leave Lucy open to seduction by himself.George Meredith (1828 - 1909) was an English novelist and poet ofthe Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literatureseven times.He had akeen understanding of comedy and his Essay on Comedy (1877) remains areference work in the history of comic theory. Though he had difficulty achieving popular success,he was well regarded by other writers. His contemporary SirArthur Conan Doyle paid him when Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson "And now let us talk about George Meredith, ifyou please, and we shall leave all minor matters until to-morrow."Oscar Wilde said of him, "Ah, Meredith! Whocan define him? His style is chaos illumined by flashes of lightning".