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Evan Melchisedec Meredith's Social Great Comic Harrington George

George Meredith's semi-autobiographical 1860 novel "Evan Harrington" chronicles the social aspirations of the family of a deceased tailor. It features memorable comic characters and explores the hero Evan's journey amidst societal pressures and romantic interests.

George Meredith's novel "Evan Harrington" (1860) is a loosely autobiographical work focusing on the social climbing attempts of the family of a recently deceased tailor, Melchisedec Harrington. The novel features notable comic characters and explores themes of social ambition and romantic entanglements, particularly through the eyes of the hero, Evan.

Front Evan Harrington
Back A Novel
George Meredith
1860
Melchisedec had four children
The second of Meredith's 'mainstream' novels, the work is loosely autobiographical in inspiration; and concerns the social climbing family (three married daughters; one unmarried son) of the recently deceased tailor, Melchisedec (The Great Mel) Harrington.

Characters
Two of Meredith's most notable comic creations - The Great Mel and his daughter Louisa, the scheming Countess of Saldar - appear in the book. Among lesser comic figures are Jack Raikes and Mr Parsley.

The love interest of the hero, Evan - who is urged up the social ladder by his three sisters - is Rose Jocelyn: she was taken as the epitome of mid-Victorian womanhood by the scholar Henry Sidgwick.

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