George Meredith

Orphaned and in a vulnerable social position, Diana Warwick decides to enter a marriage to protect herself from unwanted advances and unfair living conditions. After marrying a smart but manipulative politician, Diana quickly regrets her decision. Charming and intelligent, yet impulsive, Diana manages her miserable marriage by spending time with others, paying little mind to the social consequences it may warrant. After indiscreetly traveling with...

For its time, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel (1859) had a sexual frankness about adultery, illegitimacy, and seduction that had a disastrous effect on Meredith's reputation as a novelist for many years. Meredith defied Victorian convention and expectations in his three-part story of Richard Feverel's childhood, adolescence, and manhood. Abandoned by his mother, who leaves to be with her lover, Richard's father must raise the boy himself and does so...