The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative

by George Meredith

"The Egoist: A Comedy in Narrative" by George Meredith is a tragicomical novel published in 1879. The story centers on the self-absorbed Sir Willoughby Patterne and his troubled pursuit of marriage. After being jilted by his first bride-to-be, he wavers between two women: the sentimental Laetitia Dale and the strong-willed Clara Middleton. The novel follows Clara's struggle to escape her engagement to Willoughby, who sees women merely as mirrors for himself, dramatizing the constraints faced by women in Victorian society.