The Egoist (1879), George Meredith's best known novel, works witty variations on the traditional courtship plot. Exploiting the conventions of dramatic comedy, this novel of manners relies on sexual innuendo to satirize the patriarchal, aristocratic and imperialist assumptions prevalent in Victorian England. When the delightfully obnoxious egoist Sir Willoughby Patterne determines to secure a bride worthy of his name, a complicated game of pursuit and flight ensues involving a colorful cast of characters.