Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why is One of Our Conquerors considered difficult to read?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
George Meredith
George Meredith, detail of an oil painting by G.F. Watts, 1893; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
One of Our Conquerors (1891) is widely considered the most difficult of George Meredith’s novels due to its complex literary construction. Its challenging nature stems from the author's use of an indirect and cryptic style, heavy reliance on metaphor, and the inclusion of long passages of interior monologue.1
While these stylistic choices were demanding for contemporary readers, they were also innovative; Meredith’s extensive use of interior monologue served as an important precursor to the stream-of-consciousness techniques later popularized by writers such as James Joyce.2