The Egoist
Egoist, The,a novel by G. Meredith , published 1879 .
The central character, the Egoist himself, is Sir Willoughby Patterne, rich and handsome, with a high position in the county, but totally blind to his own arrogance and to the needs of the women he loves. Laetitia Dale, an intelligent young woman but past her first bloom, has loved him for many years, and his vanity has been flattered. But the dashing Constantia Durham is a greater prize, and she accepts his proposal. However, she soon discerns the true Sir Willoughby and elopes with Harry Oxford, an officer in the hussars, thus bringing Willoughby his first bewildering humiliation. Soon he discovers the qualities he requires in Clara Middleton, the daughter of an elderly scholar (said to be a sketch of Meredith's first father-in-law, Peacock ), whose passion for wine overwhelms even his affection for his daughter. Clara, bewitched by Willoughby's charm and surroundings, becomes...
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