Diana of the Crossways retells a tale that may well have been true: Although Meredith was forced to attach a disclaimer to the novel, it was no secret when he wrote the book that he was writing about the life of Caroline Norton, granddaughter of playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan. (jacketless library hardcover)

Author Biography

George Meredith (1828 - 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. In 1868 Meredith was introduced to Thomas Hardy by Frederic Chapman of Chapman & Hall the publishers. Hardy had submitted his first novel, The Poor Man and the Lady. Meredith advised Hardy not to publish his book as it would be attacked by reviewers and destroy his hopes of becoming a novelist. Meredith felt the book was too bitter a satire on the rich and counselled Hardy to put it aside and write another 'with a purely artistic purpose' and more of a plot. Meredith spoke from experience; his first big novel, The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, was judged so shocking that Mudie's circulating library had cancelled an order of 300 copies. Hardy continued in his attempts to publish the novel, however, it remained unpublished, though he clearly took Meredith's advice seriously. Before his death, Meredith was honored from many quarters: he succeeded Lord Tennyson as president of the Society of Authors; in 1905 he was appointed to the Order of Merit by King Edward VII.