" George Meredith (1828 - 1909) was an English novelist and poet of the Victorian era. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature seven times. He had a keen understanding of comedy and his Essay on Comedy (1877) remains a reference work in the history of comic theory. Though he had difficulty achieving popular success, he was well regarded by other writers. His contemporary Sir Arthur Conan Doyle paid him when Sherlock Holmes says to Dr. Watson "And now let us talk about George Meredith, if you please, and we shall leave all minor matters until to-morrow." Oscar Wilde said of him, "Ah, Meredith! Who can define him? His style is chaos illumined by flashes of lightning"