A Modern Lover (1883) is a novel by George Moore. His debut novel marked a turning point in Moore’s early career, characterized to that point by poorly written French poetry and a failed attempt at becoming a painter. Although less acclaimed than such novels as Esther Waters (1894), A Modern Lover is credited with being the first English novel to employ the experimental methods of Moore’s French contemporaries. Like much of Moore’s work, A Modern Lover shows the influence of French naturalist writer Émile Zola, who sought to portray the influence of heredity and social environment on the lives of his characters without shying away from poverty, sex, disease, and suffering. Lewis Seymour is a young artist who moves to London in search of fame and achievement. Although he shows promise, he quickly falls into a pattern of social climbing rather than focusing on honing his craft. As he uses one wealthy, well-connected woman after the next in a tireless journey upward, he begins to lose sight of his artistic dreams. Eventually, he settles on three women whose affection and support allow him to make a name for himself—Gwinnie, a shopgirl; Mrs. Bethan, a middle-class divorcee; and Lady Helen, a powerful aristocrat. A Modern Lover is a story of sexuality and ambition from a pioneering figure in the formation of the modern English novel. This edition of George Moore’s A Modern Lover is a classic of Irish literature reimagined for modern readers.
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