What kind of father is portrayed in The Adventures of Harry Richmond?

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George Meredith George Meredith, detail of an oil painting by G.F. Watts, 1893; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

In The Adventures of Harry Richmond (1871), George Meredith portrays the father as an impostor who lives in a world of fantasy. This character is characterized by an unwavering, delusional belief that something will eventually "turn up" to secure his fortune, a trait that leads him to out-Micawber the character of Mr. Micawber from the works of Charles Dickens.1

The novel centers on the father-son relationship, presenting the son's primary ordeal as the necessity to recognize and reject his father's illusory world. To achieve maturity, the son must navigate through painful experiences, ultimately moving beyond the influence of his father's self-deluded perspective.1