Shows / The George Meredith Library
The George Meredith Library
The George Meredith Library invites the thoughtful traveller into a world where wit is keener than the sword, love is no idle dream, and the heart must learn wisdom through its own misadventures. Here are the complete works of George Meredith, read aloud in full: novels of sparkling conversation, searching comedy, and characters whose follies are as recognisable today as when they first walked the page.
Come by the garden gate, follow the winding hedge, and listen as pride, passion, laughter…
Episodes
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 7 - Daphne’s Bower
In which young Richard Feverel wrestles with wounded pride and the complexities of friendship as he contemplates a necessary, if humbling, appeal to Farmer…
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 6 - Juvenile Stratagems
In which the impetuous youths, driven by loyalty and daring, conspire in a desperate plan to liberate a comrade from confinement, enlisting grim tokens of…
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 5 - Adrian Plies His Hook
In which the village is abuzz with reports of Farmer Blaize’s rick fire and a spectral apparition haunting the Abbey, while young Richard and Ripton secretly…
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 4 - Arson
In which the home-coming of the young Feverel is marked by a restless tension between the joyous revelry of youth and the sombre shadows cast by paternal…
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 3 - The Magian Conflict
In which the steadfast laws of boyish loyalty and honour govern the companionship of two young lads stranded in a sudden shower, while their fortunes and…
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 2 - Showing How the Fates Selected the Fourteenth Birthday to Try the Strength of the System
In which the golden October day unfolds with youthful vigour and the solemn rites of sport are mingled with the sharper trials of friendship and honour, as two…
- The George Meredith Library
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel 1 - The Inmates of Raynham Abbey
In which a portrait is drawn of the honourable Sir Austin Feverel, a man of wealth and distinction, whose life is marked by love, loss, and complicated…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 43 - Nuptial Chapter; and of How a Barely Willing Woman was Led to Bloom with the Nuptial Sentiment
In which the delicate interplay of storm and shelter mirrors the hesitant yet earnest union of two souls, where matrimony is approached not as a lofty romance…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 42 - The Penultimate: Showing a Final Struggle for Liberty and Run into Harness
In which a tempestuous day brings Mr. Redworth unexpectedly to Lady Dunstane’s abode, where conversations entwine the delicate nuances of love, honour, and the…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 41 - Contains a Revelation of the Origin of the Tigress in Diana
In which the sultry atmosphere of a London summer afternoon frames the restless meditations of a gentleman beset by love and scandal, while the city’s…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 40 - In which We See Nature Making of a Woman a Maid Again, and a Thrice Whimsical
In which we observe the gentle transformation of a woman from the complexities of life back to the simpler maidenly pleasures and challenges, set against the…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 39 - Of Nature with One of Her Cultivated Daughters and a Short Excursion in Anti-Climax
In which Diana, restored to nature’s gentle dominion and bearing the tempered recollections of her past, embarks on tranquil walks and botanical studies that…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 38 - Convalescence of a Healthy Mind Distraught
In which Diana, emerging from the depths of despair and self-reproach, confides in Emma the heavy burden of her suffering and mistaken actions, painting with…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 37 - An Exhibition of Some Champions of the Stricken Lady
In which we witness the delicate dance of old-fashioned courtesies and the discreet advances of two gentlemen vying for the favour of a lady recently freed…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 36 - Is Conclusive as to the Heartlessness of Women with Brains
In which the fluttering whispers of imminent nuptials and tragic accidents intermingle amid the gatherings of society, revealing the intricacies of human…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 35 - Reveals How the True Heroine of Romance Comes Finally to Her, Time of Triumph
In which the resolute Mr. Dacier, fortified by icy disdain and honourable principle, renounces trust in a treacherous woman and finds solace in the serene and…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 34 - In which it is Darkly Seen How the Criminal's Judge May Be Love's Criminal
In which the tender frailties of human passion and the shadows of misguided impulses reveal themselves in a moment of intimate disclosure between Diana and her…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 33 - Exhibits the Springing of a Mine in a Newspaper Article
In which the delicate accords of love and politics intertwine within a man’s breast, as Dacier wrestles with tender memories and grave duties, whilst the…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 32 - Wherein We Behold a Giddy Turn at the Spectral Crossways
In which we find Diana enveloped in a midnight scene of restless agitation and secret tidings, her mind a battleground of pride, necessity, and apprehension as…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 31 - A Chapter Containing Great Political News and Therewith an Intrusion of the Love-God
In which a confidential political announcement kindles a potent mixture of pride and tension between two closely allied souls, as they navigate the delicate…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 30 - In which There is a Taste of a Little Dinner and an Aftertaste
In which the evening unfolds with genteel society's discourse, at once refined and playful, as Diana presides over a gathering that nourishes both mind and…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 29 - Shows the Approaches of the Political and the Domestic Crisis in Company
In which Mrs. Warwick, amidst the growing political fervour of the League and the domestic shadows gathering about her, navigates the uneasy terrain of social…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 28 - Dialogue Round the Subject of a Portrait, with Some Indications of the Task for Diana
In which the delicate art of portraying not only the features but the very spirit of a memorable lady becomes the occasion for lively discourse on the…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 27 - Contains Matter for Subsequent Explosion
In which the delicate entanglements of society and personal honour are observed with a discerning eye, as Diana navigates the turbulent currents of affection…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 26 - In which a Disappointed Lover Receives a Multitude of Lessons
In which a hopeful lover awaits his beloved’s arrival with eager heart and patience tried, only to find himself enveloped in confusion and bitter…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 25 - Once More the Crossways and a Change of Turnings
In which Miss Diana, grappling with the heaviness of her past and present chains, encounters the ardent and unwavering love of Mr. Dacier, whose passionate…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 24 - Indicates a Soul Prepared for Desperation
In which Diana seeks respite with a youthful companion amidst the sober grandeur of August, only to encounter subtle estrangement and critical scrutiny of her…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 23 - Records a Visit to Diana from One of the World’s Good Women
In which a visit from an imposing lady of society bears grave tidings and solicitations that unsettle the composure of a woman poised between societal…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 22 - Between Diana and Dacier: The Wind East Over Bleak Land
In which Mr. Dacier visits a bleak Normandy coast to find Lady Diana walking amidst the wild East wind, leading to a delicate exchange of guarded admissions…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 21 - 'The Young Minister of State'
In which the social circles are stirred by the lingering scandal of Lord Dannisburgh’s death, while Lady Wathin maneuvers delicately amid gossip, moral rigour…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 20 - Diana a Night-Watch in the Chamber of Death
In which a solemn vigil is kept in a dimly lit chamber, where the quiet endurance of grief is met with gentle companionship and contemplations on the nature of…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 19 - A Drive in Sunlight and a Drive in Moonlight
In which the delicate beauty of an English June day lends a fleeting peace to two friends’ horseback ride, even as an impending grievous duty casts a shadow of…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 18 - The Authoress
In which Diana embraces the newfound triumph of her literary work with a mixture of sober self-awareness and buoyant delight, while navigating the social…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 17 - 'The Princess Egeria'
In which the bustling city of London serves as a crucible for intellect and social intrigue, where the sparkling wit and literary endeavour of a certain Mrs…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 16 - Treats of a Midnight Bell, and of a Scene of Early Morning
In which the restless clang of a midnight bell disturbs a party’s sojourn in the serene mountain village of Rovio, and the young and contemplative Mr Dacier…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 15 - Introduces the Hon. Percy Dacier
In which the reflective and spirited Diana, recovering from the shadows of recent tribulations, finds solace and renewed vitality amidst foreign landscapes and…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 14 - Giving Glimpses of Diana Under Her Cloud Before the World and of Her Further Apprenticeship
In which Diana, girded with a stoic and witty mien, navigates the sharp social currents and intricate stratagems of a world that scrutinises her shadowed…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 13 - Touching the First Days of Her Probation
In which Diana begins her probationary period by embracing the austere realities of independence, confronting the legal and social rigours that attend her new…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 12 - Between Emma and Diana
In which Diana, returning to familiar yet restless surroundings, seeks solace and companionship with her steadfast friend Emma, their tender discourse…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 11 - Recounts the Journey in a Chariot, with a Certain Amount of Dialogue, and a Small Incident on the Road
In which a journey unfolds by an aged chariot through frost-touched landscapes, enlivened by the sharp wit and gentle satire of a lady whose thoughts alight…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 10 - The Conflict of the Night
In which Diana wrestles with the oppressive constraints of her marriage and society’s unforgiving judgment, feeling both the sting of personal betrayal and the…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 9 - Shows How a Position of Delicacy
In which Mr. Redworth arrives unexpectedly at Mrs. Warwick’s solitary home to deliver a letter and finds her confronting the quiet desolation of her position…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 8 - In which is Exhibited How a Practical Man and a Divining Woman Learn to Respect One Another
In which a practical gentleman undertakes a moonlit journey across the Sussex Downs to the deserted ancestral home of a woman dear to his heart, guided by a…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 7 - The Crisis
In which the vivid spirit of Diana brings a momentary brightness and camaraderie that belies the gathering shadows cast by unrelenting whispers and a cruel…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 6 - The Couple
In which we are introduced to Diana and her husband soon after their marriage, and the narrative delicately unravels the subtle complexities of their union and…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 5 - Concerning the Scrupulous Gentleman who Came Too Late
In which a gentleman, scrupulous to fault and devoted in his affections, seeks counsel on the propriety of declaring his suit, only to find that the lady of…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 4 - Containing Hints of Diana's Experiences and of what They Led to
In which Diana’s reflective sojourn at Copsley reveals her spirited engagement with youthful idealism and vexed political discourse, while beneath the serene…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 3 - The Interior of Mr. Redworth, and the Exterior of Mr. Sullivan Smith
In which the observant Mr. Redworth, a philosophical bachelor, finds himself unexpectedly entangled in the vibrant social whirl of an Irish soirée, marked by a…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 2 - An Irish Ball
In which the Assembly Rooms of Dublin come alive with the spirited homage to an Irish-born British hero, where dance and conversation weave a delicate…
- The George Meredith Library
Diana of the Crossways Chapter 1 - Of Diaries and Diarists Touching the Heroine
In which the narrative delicately introduces a lady famed for her rare blend of beauty and wit, weaving through contemporary diaries and memoirs that sketch…