The Egoist
(1879), George Meredith's best known novel, works witty variations on
the traditional courtship plot. Exploiting the conventions of dramatic
comedy, this novel of manners relies on sexual innuendo to satirize the
patriarchal, aristocratic and imperialist assumptions prevalent in
Victorian England. When the delightfully obnoxious egoist Sir Willoughby
Patterne determines to secure a bride worthy of his name, a complicated
game of pursuit and flight ensues involving a colorful cast of
characters.