ABSTRACT
TheOrdealofRichardPeverel•ANovelwithaHero
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Andsincethefirstnovelisalwaysapttobeanunguardedone,wheretheauthordisplayshisgiftswithout knowinghowtodisposeofthemtothebestadvantage, wemaydowelltoopenRichardPeverelfirst.It needsnogreatsagacitytoseethatthewriterisa noviceathistask.Thestyleisextremelyuneven. Nowhetwistshimselfintoironknots•nowhelies flatasapancake.Heseemstobeoftwomindsas tohisintention.Ironiccommentalternateswith long-windednarrative.Hevacillatesfromoneattitudetoanother.Indeed,thewholefabricseemsto rockalittleinsecurely.Thebaronetwrappedina cloakrthecountyfamily,theancestralhome,the unclesmouthingepigramsinthediningroomJthegreat ladiesflauntingandswimming,thejollyfarmers slappingtheirthighs•allliberallyifspasmodically sprinkledwithdriedaphorismsfromapepper-pot calledthePilgrim'sScrip--whatanoddconglomerationitislButtheoddityisnotonthesurface, itisnotmerelythatwhiskersandbonnetshavegone outoffashion•itliesdeeper,inMeredith'sintention,inwhathewishestobringtopass.Hehas been,itisplain,atgreatpainstodestroytheconventionalformofthenovel.Hemakesnoattemptto preservethesoberrealityofTrollopeandJane Austen,hehasdestroyedalltheusualstaircasesby whichwehavelearnttoclimb.Andwhatisdoneso deliberatelyisdonewithapurpose.Thedefianceof theordinary,theseairsandgraces,theformalityof thedialoguewithitsSirsandMadamsareallthere tocreateanatmospherethatisunlikethatofdaily life,topreparethtwayforanewandoriginalsense ofthehumanscene.l
Asanexperimentalnovelistherself,VirginiaWoolfisalert
tothesignificanceofMeredith'snotoriousoddities.His
1•TheNovelsofGeorgeMeredith•inTheSecondCoemon Reader(NewYork•HarvestBooks,1960),p.206.
