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The Egoist
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The Egoist: Week 1: Chapters 1-7
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Mod
1) In what ways does the author demonstrate Willoughby’s egoism?
2) In what manner has he wronged both Major Crossjay Patterne and his young son?
3) Why has Constantia Durham married Captain Oxford instead of Sir Willoughby Patterne? Was she correct in her decision?
4) How and why is Willoughby using Laetitia Dale?
5) In what ways is Laetitia suited to his “ideal?” Why has Willoughby asked two other women to marry him instead of her?
5) Is he also using Vernon Whitsome or is he his benefactor?
6) Why is Willoughby seen by society as more successful than his cousin, Vernon? What, then, does society value?
7) For what reasons does Willoughby pursue Clara Middleton? Are they well suited?
8) What humor are you finding in George Meredith’s style of writing?
Mod
To address some of the questions, I think Willoughby's egoism is on best display in his high-handed treatment of Major Patterne, his cousin Vernon, but especially of Laetitia Dale. He unabashedly feeds on her open devotion to him. While her worship stokes his ego, the social position of her and her father does not, which is one reason why he doesn't ask her to marry him. I think another reason is because of the fact that she is already what he wants--she is already his "ideal" in that she subsumes her own personality in deference to his. She is already a mirror of him instead of her own person. I think that in addition to being an egoist, Willoughby is also a control freak. His frequent references to his wish to "shut out the world" when he proposes to Clara Middleton are disturbing; it is clear that he wishes her to isolate herself from everyone else and basically just be there to serve his needs. He wants to be the focus--the ONLY focus--of her life. I think Constantia (smart girl!) picked up on the less attractive side of Willoughby when he refused to see Major Patterne after having invited him to his house and made such a fuss about admiring him. She realizes that Willoughby is not a nice person and gets out while the getting is good!
Willoughby chooses these young women not only because of their obvious attributes--beauty, intelligence, connections, social status--but because it presents him with a challenge that Laetitia Dale does not: winning them and subduing their spirits to turn them into the submissive creatures he requires. Laetitia is already there, so where's the fun in that?
Mod
I also thought of Jane Austen. The names Willoughby and Wickham are forever banished to the realm of “bad eggs.”
I’ve never read Meredith before either, and am enjoying this book a lot (after getting through the Prologue which I must admit I found hard going).As Cindy has described so clearly above, Willoughby shows his egoism in all his dealings with others, particularly Vernon, Laetitia and Clara. He also shows his disdain for American ways, and mocks Vernon for trying to join in with their society and to understand their systems. I liked this passage about it
“One was the English gentleman wherever he went; the other was a new kind of thing, nondescript, produced in England of late, and not likely to come to much good himself, or do much good to the country.”
It is wealth and status which makes Willoughby successful in the eyes of society, Vernon’s qualities are not valued (except by Dr Middleton who is not a person of influence).
Willoughby totally disregards any feelings that Laetitia and Clara have, his opinions and ideas are all that matters. He leads Laetitia to hope he is going to propose when he just wants to talk business with her father. Clara is already beginning to regret her decision, but she doesn’t have a clear way to escape like Constantia did. I’m not surprised she was alarmed when Willoughby wanted her to promise she would agree to remain faithful even after his death!
I like the character of Mrs. Mountstuart Jenkinson with her witty comments. She is no fool and has got the measure of Sir Willoughby.
Mod
I struggle with the prologue as well, and plan to give it another go once I finish the novel, just to see if they go down more smoothly.
I will be starting this book at the end of the month and plan to catch up quickly and join the discussion. I did sneak a peak and read the Prologue since it isn't plot-centered and found it a bunch of blather. I anticipate a more interesting read when a plot is presented.
Mod
I found this difficult to read to begin with, the style seemed difficult, but as has been mentioned, maybe that's because the prologue hasn't travelled well over the years? Would it have been light reading at the time, but our tastes have changed too much?I am very interested to see where the novel goes, at the moment Willoughby seems like a very hollow person to be at the centre of the novel, a type rather than a real person I can engage with yet. It is obvious that Clara Middleton should get out from this engagement before it is too late, I wonder how Willoughby's pride will survive though, having two fiances leave him?
Thank goodness I have the erudite comments above, as well as the introduction by Renee to bring me up to date. I have managed t o read the chapters for this section, and am really enjoying the way in which Willoughby is outed at every turn by the author. It is fascinating to see how these early writers wanted to undermine the male ego, or at least show that it existed , and is unpleasant. I don't think that they show the danger that modern writers about gender politics demonstrate, but they raise really pertinent questions. It would be interesting to read reviews from the time. But, what is apparent is that there was a market for such material. Otherwise this book would not have been published. Wouldn't the market have included people such as those depicted? I'm sorry, Renee, I have gone off on my own tangent. I'll come back to your suggestions for discussion. They are great.
Mod
Part of me is glad I wasn’t the only one who had trouble with that prologue! Now I want to warn others not to bother reading it. I think it’s very daunting when the novel itself is light. (Well, mostly. We’ve come to view egoism/narcissism as rather serious in modern times because of the impact on others.)
What I know of psychiatry (very little) would suggest that the narcissist is usually unmotivated to change behaviors that “work” for them , unless they have something personal at stake. Or have experienced pain as a result of their own behavior.
It will be interesting to see what develops.
Mod
From Wikipedia...
In his essay "Books Which Have Influenced Me," Robert Louis Stevenson reports the following story: "A young friend of Mr. Meredith's (as I have the story) came to him in agony. 'This is too bad of you,' he cried. 'Willoughby is me!' 'No, my dear fellow,' said the author; 'he is all of us.’
This is from the section on the novel’s reception, but there are spoilers so beware if you are sensitive to those.
Mod
Renee wrote: "Robin wrote: "Thank goodness I have the erudite comments above, as well as the introduction by Renee to bring me up to date. I have managed t o read the chapters for this section, and am really enj..."Thank you so much. I do not care about spoilers as my enjoyment from reading is more to do with how the writer gets his/her ideas across and deals with plot and characterisation. Thank you for warning me, though.
I agree about Trollope.
I am relishing Chapter 7 and the conversation between Willoughby and Miss Middleton. She voices all the worries about him that could appear in a modern novel. He is as obtuse as any negative male character today. This is a great read and I am so glad to have had the impetus to join. Thank you for having me.
Mod
Renee wrote: "Yes! The language and phrasing may be Victorian but the sentiments are distinctly modern."I agree. It is really fascinating. I am thinking of writing a comparison of the ideas in book such as those discussed here, and the ideas that are modern equivalents and how they are featured/inform the narrative etc.
Mod
Mod
I love this!! Mr. Meredith was evidently very progressive for his time. At least some of the men back then could recognize the faults in their own perspectives!
Mod
Cindy wrote: "Renee wrote: "In his essay "Books Which Have Influenced Me," Robert Louis Stevenson reports the following story: "A young friend of Mr. Meredith's (as I have the story) came to him in agony. 'This ..."Yes, it is amazing!
Renee wrote: "In his essay "Books Which Have Influenced Me," Robert Louis Stevenson reports the following story: "A young friend of Mr. Meredith's (as I have the story) came to him in agony. 'This is too bad of you,' he cried. 'Willoughby is me!' 'No, my dear fellow,' said the author; 'he is all of us.’ .."As we are mentioning gender politics, do you know if Meredith meant Willoughby is all men, or all people?
Mod
Mod
Personally, I think he meant all men. Part of what his narrative exposes are the limited choices women had and the powerlessness they often experienced in controlling their own fates. I don't think narcissism was a luxury many women had at that point in time. They were all too aware that they were NOT the center of the universe, mainly by the fact that their lives so often revolved around the whims and wishes of a male.
Mod
I think Cindy makes a very good point. Meredith seems to be using the story to expose Egoism in men of his class, but also to show how brutal it can be to those who are dependent and/or powerless. Certainly, Clara seems to feel trapped without her father’s support or Costantia’s Oxford. Without a man, she will likely be ruined in society’s eyes if she breaks the engagement and so dependent on her father for the rest of her life.
Meredith gives us foreshadowing in the comments made by two perceptive women about Clara's not-so-hidden character. Mrs. Jenkinson pronounces her a rogue in porcelain, and Willoughby's own mother points out her volatility of temperament. Those observations make Willoughby swallow hard, but we can tell that he forces them to the back of his mind. I have a feeling that he's in for a rude awakening.
Vernon refers to his "Flibbertigibbet". That sounds suspiciously like a word from the song "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" in The Sound of Music. If so, I had wrongly assumed it was a nonsense word invented to round out the verse in the song.
Brian wrote: "Vernon refers to his "Flibbertigibbet". . . If so, I had wrongly assumed it was a nonsense word..."As you now see, it was once a more widely-used word. Here's the history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flibber...
I had a similar experience with Trollope's use of the word “hobbledehoy” to describe Johnny Eames in The Small House at Allington. I thought it was a Trollope made-up word and then discovered otherwise, later seeing it used by Elizabeth Gaskell in Chapter 8 of Wives and Daughters but to the young ladies at the center of that story rather than to a young man:
"He was at that age when young men . . .are morbidly conscious of the difficulty of finding subjects of conversation in talking to girls in a state of feminine hobbledehoyhood."
Sorry for the diversion, back to The Egoist. This is my first Meredith, but I do see a bit of similarity to Trollope in the Meredith also seems always on the ready to put in a witty observation, or indirect social commentary.
It's just harder to see with Meredith as his work is surprisingly ornate, with a high-level vocabulary and long complex sentences. Not quite flowery as Meredith does not seem to intend to just write beautifully - he seems to use the ornateness to distract as he slips in some wit. It's a style that did not work in the Prologue as there was nothing concrete to talk about.
I am still undecided on how effective the style is during the story-telling. While I do get distracted at times by some of the complex sentences, I find myself enjoying the story so far. Even with the wordiness, there has been a lot of developments in the first 13% of the book. Willoughby is on his third woman already and the introduced characters are intriguing. I find it a bit interesting that, at this point, I feel like I've had more insight into the mind of Clara than the main character Willoughby. At first, I had a dislike for Willoughby, but after some recent passages, including a conversation with Clara, I now have some empathy for him. I am interested in seeing where this goes.
Mod
This is my first Meredith, but I do see a bit of similarity to Trollope in the Meredith also seems always on the ready to put in a witty observation, o..."
I have some suspicion that Meredith spots a high style in order to make his subject (Egoists) more ridiculous. We may know more as the story continues.
I agree that Meredith does not mean us to despise Willoughby. He seems far more interesting in leading his readers to despise the system Which has taught him to think only if himself and to believe that his interests are in the best interest of everyone around him.
Victorians!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Small House at Allington (other topics)Wives and Daughters (other topics)
The Egoist (other topics)
The Egoist by George Meredith.
Chapter Summaries
Chapters 1-3
George Meredith immediately shows us the vanity and egoism of Sir Willoughby Patterne, who has sent a check to his relative, a heroic marine lieutenant celebrated in the newspapers for his exploits in foreign parts, but who refuses his acquaintance when this relative shows up old, unattractive, and ungentlemanly in appearance. Willoughby is touted by local society as an attractive (He has a leg!), titled, successful, sought-after match. He becomes engaged to the beautiful, wealthy Constantia Durham, who, nevertheless, throws him over for young Captain Oxford. Willoughby’s attentions seem to turn toward the pretty Laetitia Dale, but it the final sentence of Chapter 3 we find that he has not proposed, but has gone abroad suddenly instead.
Chapters 4
Meredith leads us to believe that the entire county is ready to take Laetitia’s side against the fickle Willoughby, but since she does not give in to showing her true feelings, public opinion moves on. Willoughby and his cousin, Vernon, travel together, touring Europe, America, Japan, China, and Australia. Their travels further show how different they are, yet after three years Willoughby brings Vernon home to help him manage his estate. Laetitia is again taken up as a companion to both Willoughby and Vernon, and is delighted to have 12 year old Crossjay Patterne under her roof; the son of the lieutenant, now captain, of Marines. Vernon has taken young Crossjay under his wing, since Willoughby will not have the boy in residence at the hall. It is young Crossjay who gives the first report of Clara Middleton and Willoughby’s interest in her. But soon Willoughby seeks to introduce Clara to Laetitia, and Laetitia has the dubious honor of finding herself praised as Willoughby’s ideal as a “constant woman,” but not the wife of his choice.
Chapter 5-7
Willoughby pursues Clara and pressures her into an engagement, winning her away from other suitors, although she has asked her for time to see a little of the world. Clara is overwhelmed by the onslaught and they are engaged. Clara has wealth, beauty, and health; Vernon also praises her wit, and Mrs. Mountstuart Jenkinson pronounces to be "a dainty rogue in porcelain". Willoughby sees her as a perfect mirror of his perfect qualities and is disturbed by any hint that she has qualities which might go beyond that. Since they do not agree on every topic, Willougby becomes frustrated by her unwillingness to be lead by him in all things, and begins to pressure her to make promises with which she is uncomfortable. Clara begins to suspect that Willoughby is not what she had assumed and Clara’s father is distressed to find that she still wants to travel before her wedding, when he would rather settle into the comfortable life he has envisioned. Willoughby’s mother dies.