George Meredith, Novelist and Poet
In november 1893, Arthur Conan Doyle gave 3 lectures about "George Meredith, Novelist and Poet" in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. These lectures were given during the lecture tour "Facts about Fiction".
Tour dates & locations
- 20.11.1893 : George Meredith, Novelist and Poet, at New Windsor Chapel (Salford, Manchester, UK)
- 21.11.1893 : George Meredith, Novelist and Poet, at Queen Street Hall (Edinburgh, UK)
- 23.11.1893 : George Meredith, Novelist and Poet, at Kinnaird Hall (Glasgow, UK)
About Conan Doyle's lecture
Dr. A. Conan Doyle described George Meredith as the "novelists' novelist" due to his strong influence on fellow writers despite his lack of mainstream popularity. He viewed reading Meredith as an intellectual exercise, praising his subtlety, expression, and originality. He argued that Meredith revitalized fiction by breaking from convention, though his complex style made him inaccessible to many readers. Richard Feverel was highlighted as his greatest novel, capable of reshaping British proverbs and surpassing most love stories. However, Conan Doyle acknowledged Meredith's flaws — his sometimes dull writing, the dominance of wit over character development, and his possible misalignment with the novel as a medium. He suggested Meredith would have been a great dramatist in Shakespeare's time or an essayist in Queen Anne's era. He also noted Meredith's strong female characters, contrasting them with Byronic heroines, and saw him as an advocate for gender equality in literature.
Reports
Manchester
- Dr. Conan Doyle's Estimate of Mr. George Meredith (21 november 1893, Manchester Evening News)
Edinburgh
- Dr Conan Doyle in Edinburgh (22 november 1893, Edinburgh Evening News)
Glasgow
- Dr Conan Doyle on George Meredith (24 november 1893, Glasgow Evening News)
- Dr. Conan Doyle in Glasgow (24 november 1893, The Scotsman)
See also
- The Genius and Writings of George Meredith (1892 lecture)
