英国文学chapter13课件.ppt

He collected his early writings, first published in periodicals, into Poems, published to some acclaim in 1851. In 1856 he posed as the model for The Death of Chatterton, a hugely popular painting by the English Pre-Raphaelite painter Henry Wallis [1830–1916]. His wife ran off with Wallis in 1858; she died three years later. The collection of sonnets entitled Modern Love (1862) came of this experience as did The Ordeal of Richard Feverel, his first major novel. The Death of Chatterton He married Marie Vulliamy in 1864 and settled in Surrey. Marie Vulliamy, was as unlike Mary Ellen as possible. Marie was a practical, domestic woman who was willing to put her husbands needs and interests ahead of her own. Though by no means stupid or uneducated, she did not have the demanding intelligence and sharp wit that had characterized Peacocks daughter. They met in 1863 and were married on September 20, 1864.The marriage seems to have been very successful. Marie was a good housekeeper and a competent hostess. They had two children. Middle Age and Second Marriage (1862-1884) He continued writing novels and poetry, often inspired by nature. His writing was characterized by a fascination with imagery and indirect references. He had a keen understanding of comedy and his Essay on Comedy (1877) is still quoted in most discussions of 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. The Egoist is the most unified, controlled and carefully structured of Merediths novels. It is pure comedy with a rich psychological component. For once his style was subordinated to and in harmony with his purpose. The Egoist earned Meredith the approval of the most influential critics. It was the beginning of a growing fame which, some would arg