Background
George Meredith was born on February 12, 1828 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom, a son and grandson of naval outfitters. His mother died when he was five.
George Meredith was born on February 12, 1828 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, United Kingdom, a son and grandson of naval outfitters. His mother died when he was five.
At the age of 14 George was sent to a Moravian School in Neuwied, Germany, where he remained for two years.
George read law and was articled as a solicitor, but abandoned that profession for journalism and poetry. Meredith collected his early writings, first published in periodicals, in an 1851 volume, Poems. He continued writing novels and poetry, often inspired by nature. He had a keen understanding of comedy and his Essay on Comedy remains a reference work in the history of comic theory. In The Egoist, published in 1879, he applies some of his theories of comedy in one of his most enduring novels. Some of his writings, including The Egoist, also highlight the subjugation of women during the Victorian period. During most of his career, he had difficulty achieving popular success. His first successful novel was Diana of the Crossways published in 1885.
On 9 August 1849, Meredith married Mary Ellen Nicolls, a beautiful widow with a daughter. They had one child, Arthur (1853–1890). In 1858 she ran off with the painter Henry Wallis, shortly before giving birth to a child assumed to be Wallis's. Mary Ellen died in 1861. On 20 September 1864, Meredith married Marie Vulliamy. She died of cancer in 1886.