"The Sentimentalists" by George Meredith is an incomplete comedic tale set in the late 1800s that explores the tangled webs of affection, matrimony, and personal fulfillment within the strict rules of the time. The story, layered with social observation and love stories, follows characters as they deal with their emotions and societal roles in a Surrey garden. Astraea, a central widowed figure is conflicted between pressure from suitors like the youthful Arden, and her own desires juxtaposed with the obligation to remember her dead spouse. The conversations navigate themes of love, marriage, and selfhood, often calling into question the essence of being a woman and the chase to find love. As the story progresses, mix-ups and emotional disputes take center stage, particularly when Astraea faces her own power, challenging her bond with Arden. The work has both funny and serious elements as the characters move through their sentiments within the social restrictions of their era.
The Sentimentalists
By George Meredith
In a garden of social expectations and romantic pursuits, a widow must choose between honoring the past and embracing the potential for new love.
Summary
About the AuthorGeorge 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.
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.
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