This edition of Meredith's satirical novel of manners reprints that of 1897, which incorporated Meredith's revisions to the first edition of 1879.The editor has further emended some errors which escaped Meredith's attention and has provided exceptionally useful notes to the novel.

 As background, Meredith's "Essay on Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit" is provided.The critical essays are by Robert D. Mayo,Richard B. Hudson, Jenni Calder, Gillian Beer, John Goode, Charles J.Hill, Michael Sundell, Virginia Woolf, John Lucas, and Robert M.Adams.

  PRELUDE. A CHAPTER OF WttICH THE LAST PAGE

      ONLY IS OF ANY IMPORTANCE

  1 A MINOR INCIDENT, SIIOWING AN IIEREDITARY APTI-

      TUDE IN TIIE USE OF THE KNIFE

2 TIlE YOUNG SIR WILLOUGHBY

  3 CONSTANTIA DURHAM

  4 LYETITIA DALE

  5 CLARA MIDDLETON

  6 HIS COURTSHIP

  7 TIIE BETROTUED

 8 A RUN WITII THE  TRUANT : A WALK WITII THE

      MASTER

  9 CLARA AND LETITIA MEET : THEY ARE COMPARED

10 IN WHICH SIR WILLOUGHBY CHANCES TO SUPPLY

      THE TITLE FOR HIMSELF

11 THE DOUBLE-BLOSSOM WILD CHERRY-TREE

12 MISS MIDDLETON AND MR. VERNON WHITFORD

13 THE FIRST EFFORT AFTER FREEDOM

14 SIR WILLOUGHBY AND LETITIA

15 THE PETITION FOR A RELEASE

16 CLARA AND LETITIA

17 THE PORCELAIN VASE

18 COLONEL DE CRAYE

19 COLONEL DF CRAYE AND CLARA NIDDLETON

20 AN AGED AND A GREAT WINE

21 CLARA'S MEDITATIONS

22 THE RIDE

23 TREATS OF THE UNION OF TEMPER AND POLICY

24 CONTAINS AN INSTANCE OF THF THE GENEROSITY OF

     WILLOUGHBY

25 TIlE FLIGHT IN WILD WEATHER

26 VERNON IN PURSUIT

27 AT THE RAILWAY STATION

28 THE RETURN

29 IN WHICH THE SENSITIVENESS OF SIR WIL-

     LOUGHBY IS EXPLALYED: AND HE RECEIVES

     MUCH INSTRUCTION

30 TREATING OF THE DINNER- PARTY AT MRS.

     MOUNTSTUART JENKINSON'S

31 SIR WILLOUGHBY ATTEMPTS AND ACHIEVES

     PATHOS

32 LATITIA DALE DISCOVERS A SPIRITUAL CHANGE,

     AND DR. MIDDLETON A PHYSICAL

33 IN WHICH THE COMIC MUSE HAS AN EYE ON

     TWO GOOD SOULS

34 MRS MOUNTSTUAIGT AND SIR WILLOUGBBY

35 MiSS MIDDLETON AND MRS. MOUNTSTUAET

36 ANIMATED CONVERSATION AT A LUNCHEON-TABLE

37 CONTAINS CLEVER FENCING AND INTIMATIONS

     OF THE NEED FOR IT

33 IN WHICH WE TAKE A STEP TO THE CENTRE OF

     EGOISM

39 IN THE HEART OF TIlE EGOIST

40 MIDNIGIIT: SIR WILLOUGHBY AND LETITIA; WITH

     YOUNG  CROSSJAY  UNDER  A  COVERLET

41 THE REV. DR. MIDDLETON, CLARA, AND SIR WIL-

     LOUGHBY

42 SHOWS THE DIVINING ARTS OF A PERCEPTIVE MIND

43 IN WHICH SIR WILLOUGHBY IS LED TO THINK THAT

     THE ELEMENTS HAVE CONSPIRED AGAINST HIM

44 DR. MIDDLETON : THE LADIES ELEANOR AND

     ISABEL; AND MR. DALE

45 THE PATTERNE LADIES: MR, DALE: LADY BUSSHE

     AND LADY CULMER: WITH MRS, MOUNTSTUART

     JENKINSON

46  THE  SCENE  OF  SIR  WILLOUGHBY'S  GENERALSHIP

47  SIR WILLOUGHBY AND HIS FRIEN'D HORACE DE

     CRAYE

48 THE LOVERS

49 LETITIA AND SIR WILLOUGHBY

50 uPoN WHICH THE CURTAIN FALLS