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What themes about marriage appear in Lord Ormont and His Aminta and The Amazing Marriage?

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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 his later works, George Meredith explored the complexities of marriage through the lens of gender equality. Specifically, in both Lord Ormont and His Aminta (1894) and The Amazing Marriage (1895), Meredith develops the central theme that a wife possesses the moral freedom to leave her husband if he fails to recognize her as an equal individual.1

These novels reflect Meredith’s broader literary commitment to portraying women as thinking, spirited beings rather than mere subordinates. By highlighting the necessity of mutual respect and recognition within a partnership, he challenged the conventional Victorian view of the marital bond, suggesting that a marriage lacking such equality is fundamentally flawed. This focus on the autonomy of women in marriage was consistent with his personal radical views, which even included the provocative suggestion that marriage should be a renewable 10-year trial period.12