One of Our Conquerors — Volume 1

"One of Our Conquerors — Volume 1" by George Meredith is a novel published during the late 19th century. The story introduces us to Victor Radnor, a charismatic and somewhat introspective gentleman navigating the complexities of social interactions and personal dilemmas in London. The narrative appears to weave themes of class dynamics, love, and the tension between ambition and emotional fulfillment in a rapidly changing society. The opening portion of the narrative sets the stage for Victor Radnor's character as he crosses London Bridge, reflecting on a recent fall and engaging with various societal observations. As he interacts with a diverse crowd, including a somewhat antagonistic working-class man, we see his sensitivity to social hierarchies and conflicts. Radnor's thoughts drift toward his family, particularly his daughter, Nesta, and the emotional nuances of his past decisions, including a complicated relationship with a woman named Mrs. Burman. He grapples with societal expectations, personal pride, and his aspirations for happiness, providing a rich exploration of character and context that invites readers into the intricate world Meredith has crafted. The narrative promises to delve deeper into Radnor's relationships, his ambitions, and the underlying tensions of London life. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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.