The Ordeal Of Richard Feverel-Complete - Paperbackby George Meredith (Author) The Ordeal Of Richard Feverel The earliest full length novel written by George Meredith was The Ordeal of Richard Feverel: A History of Father and Son. The story begins with the wife of Sir Austin Feverel who runs away with a poet, leaving her husband to raise their son Richard alone. Sir Austin, a scientific humanist who believes that schools are corrupt, educates the boy at home using a system he came up with and called