An overlooked gem
Anthony Trollope, like Miniver Cheevy, was born at the wrong time and in the wrong place. Nineteenth century England produced some of the greatest novelists the world has ever known--Dickens, Austin, the Bronte sisters, Hardy, etc. In this company Trollope has been somewhat lost and that is unfortunate. His books are interesting and filled with humor, pathos and the stuff of life. They are also literate (Trollope was especially versed in the Greeks and Shakespeare), full of good humor and provide lessons for life. It is clear from the limited number of reviews on Amazon.com that Trollope is not widely read. It is equally clear from the mostly positive results that he is a good writer who should get more attention.
Barchester Towers is the second of the six books in the Barsetshire series. The books run in historical sequence but can be read independently. The first in the series, The Warden, tells of Mr. Harding and his younger daughter, Eleanor. Rev. Harding is forced to resign as the warden (a kind of manager/minister) of a hospital for elderly men because the salary is too high. He is exposed by John Bold, a reformer, and a local newspaper. But Harding is a good man and he accepts the situation gracefully; his daughter, in fact, marries Bold who then dies but leaves his widow well off financially and with a baby boy.
Barchester Towers picks up the story at that point and switches the focus to another group of largely religious individuals. It should be noted that the novel is not about religion as much as it is about power. On the other hand it would be a good idea to know something about the Church of England, such as what the various religious titles represent (archdeacon, dean, vicar, prebendary, etc.), as well as the attitude of the two political parties (Whigs and Tories) toward religion.
At the start of the novel the bishop of Barchester dies and a new bishop, Dr.Proudie, is appointed in his place. Proudie is a short, indecisive man who is dominated by his wife. He picks Obadiah Slope as his second in command. Slope is reminiscent of Dickens' sly, scheming Uriah Heep. His objective is to be the de facto bishop, a position that Mrs. Proudie aspires to in her own way as well. Set against this trio are the local Barchester clergy led by Archdeacon Grantly. The recently deceased bishop was the archdeacon's father and the son hoped to succeed to the office. The ambitious Grantly takes an instant dislike to the officious Mr. Slope and their rivalry is one of the main focuses of the book
A number of other characters and sub-plots suffuse the novel. The Stanhope family--mother, father, two daughters and son, soon arrive on the scene. This group includes Madeline, a beautiful but physically impaired young woman who toys with men's affections and Bertie, a shiftless but essentially decent young man. Also joining the cast is the Rev. Mr. Arabin, brought in by the archdeacon to help combat Mr. Slope. The other major plot is the efforts of three men to secure the hand of the widow Eleanor Bold. Slope is one schemer who is primarily intent on securing her money. Bertie Stanhope, the irresponsible prodigal son in the Stanhope family is also encouraged to marry her for her fortune. Finally there is Mr. Arabin, a decent man, but inexperienced in matters of love. Early in the book (page 112) Trollope enters the story to reassure the reader that "It is not destined that Eleanor shall marry Mr. Slope or Bertie Stanhope." This tactic, engaged in by other British writers (Fielding for example) can be irritating, but Trollope does it in a good humored way.
The central power struggle involves who shall be appointed to the Warder position which has now been restructured. The archdeacon pulls for Mr. Harding to be reappointed, while Mrs. Proudie pumps for the Rev. Mr. Quiverful who has a wife and 14 children to look after and needs the income the job will provide. Mr. Slope slides between the two contenders, depending on how he sees his advantage. When another position opens up, that of Dean, the stakes get even higher.
The novel reaches a climax at a party given by an elderly matron, Miss Thorne. Eleanor's two ill suited suitors make their pitch, Trollope's caution to the reader comes true, and the novel proceeds to a happy ending for almost everyone.
A final comment. I read a news report recently that president-elect Obama will stop reading novels and spend more time in the gym because of what he sees as the increased demands on his new job. That is, in my view, a big mistake. Novels give us insights into how to live our own lives and we are all better off for reading them. For example in Barchester Towers there is a scene between Archdeacon Grantly and Mr. Williams in which Mr. Williams has received a letter from Mr. Slope for his daughter. Both men object to Slope both as an individual and especially as a suitor for Eleanor. The archdeacon gets very angry and says that Eleanor has disgraced him and that if she marries Slope he will not have anything further to do with her. Mr. Williams, on the other hand, while equally distressed at the prospects of his daughter marrying Slope, says that he will accept that choice and continue his relationship with her. Here we have a clear difference in character. The archdeacon will only have friendship with people who agree with his views--much as George Bush's comment after 9/11, "you are with us or you are against us." But we can't live in a world like that. We have to live as Mr. Williams suggests, by accepting that other people can have different views from our own. So lets hope Obama spends less time on the treadmill and more time on Trollope!
Buy Barchester Towers (Oxford Worlds Classics) by Anthony Trollope At The Lowest Price!
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