Pendennis: Vol. 1

Published in 1850, Pendennis tells the story of a gentleman named Arthur Pendennis and is a satirical novel about human nature and the "uppity" English aristocracy. Arthur, called "Pen" by his close friends, is the only child of his late father, a wealthy doctor. After his father's death, Arthur and his foster sister, Laura, are raised in a small village by his over-spending mother, who pushes Pen and Laura to one day marry one another. At 18, Pen falls in love with Emily Fotheringay, an actress who is nearly 30 years old. Emily's father believes (falsely) that Pen is rich and urges the two to get married. After an elaborate scheme engineered by his mother, Pen is left unmarried and heartbroken. He leaves to study in Oxbridge, where he discovers the pleasures of living extravagantly, leaving his mother and Laura to live in near poverty. After meeting gambling neighbors and befriending a conman, Pen realizes that Laura is his true love and that earning an honest living is better than creating a false presentation of your family's wealth and status.