Description
Evan Harrington is one of the most amusing of Victorian novels, a brilliant comedy of manners. Evan is the son of a tailor, and the novel deals with the problems arising from the social prejudice and class distinctions which obstruct his upward progress. His father, nicknamed ‘the great Mel’, ‘the Marquis, had a style and presence which had enabled him to mix with the bucks and grandees of the Regency on equal terms, even though, when challenged, he never pretended to be other than he was. Mel’s children have inherited his characteristics in different ways; the two sisters have made ‘good’ marriages, though the eldest is unhappy in her role, while the younger revels in her status as the wife of a Portuguese count. It is her energetic efforts to make a grand marriage for Evan and to conceal his humble origins that lead to complex difficulties and to devious intrigues. Evan has all his father’s charm but none of his sister’s ambition, but he proves himself worthy of his charming bride. All eventually turns out well; he wins her hand and social acceptance, but Meredith ends the book with an amused cynicism about the morality and conventions of his times.
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