Anthony Trollope's The Chronicles of Barsetshire

My commentary contains minor spoilers regarding the outcome of several relationships portrayed in this series.

I have completed all six books of Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles of Barsetshire series. Almost every page of the approximately 3,456 pages of the series is worth the read. Before I read these books, I had not read anything by Trollope. Now he is one of my favorite authors.

There are many themes and motifs developed during the course of the novels, including: the decay of the British class system, the virtues and strengths of quiet and non-aggressive people, the condition of women in society, religious hypocrisy and virtue, the mix of good and bad in everyone, and many others.

Though there are still numerous highly praised Trollope novels that I have not read, I feel that at this point I can say a few general things about the author. Trollope’s talents are numerous. He is funny, he is accessible while at the same time deep, and he uses a form of meta-fiction that is unique, amusing and witty. He describes people and their interactions in a more realistic way than just about any other writer that I know. His allusions to mythology as well as to Biblical and classical literature are frequent, clever and aesthetically pleasing.

I find Trollope to be a mostly optimistic writer. While that was true throughout the series, there seems to be a little darkening in his attitude and more realism exhibited as the series progressed. This is exemplified by the less than happy outcomes for a trio of characters, Lilly Dale, Johnny Eames, and Adolphus Crosby. See my commentary on their fates here.

Trollope is often compared to Charles Dickens as his books are set in the same period and place and seem to cover similar situations and themes. Both writers spend lots of words exploring human relationships and psychology. Both also seem to exhibit a moderate and easy going Christian based philosophy in their writings.  

There are major and important differences, however. Where Dickens was larger than life, Trollope seems in many ways the opposite, as he successfully attempts to reflect life the way it is, with incredibly nuanced, complex and contradictory characters and situations. Most of Trollope’s virtuous characters have flaws. Even his most pernicious creations exhibit virtues. Furthermore, despite Trollope’s realism, he  does not penetrate into the really dark corners of the human experience as Dickens does. In addition, where Dickens was concerned with the plight of the poor and oppressed, Trollope seems much less interested in those subjects.

Viewed in its entirety, the series is impressive and unified in terms of plot, characters and themes. It is also aesthetically and emotionally satisfying. At the end of the last book, there are marriages, declarations that some couples will never marry, and deaths of some long standing regulars.

Many book series offer a reader comfort; they provide familiar characters and places. I do think that some of this familiarity is often paid for with a degree of superficiality. The plots and characters are presented in too safe a manner. Trollope mostly avoids such superficiality in these books, his realism and complexity providing substance throughout.

My favorite book of the series is Barchester Towers. Though the novels do not need to be read in order, I recommend doing so. There is a certain continuity of characters and events that, when read in order, give the plot and character development additional coherence. The last book in the series, appropriately titled, The Last Chronicle of Barset, really should only be read last, since it concerns the fates of multiple characters and because it picks up multiple plot threads.

The first book in the series, The Warden, was very good, but I think that most of the other novels are better. Thus, if one does start at the beginning, one can look forward to the narrative improving.

I leave off with the closing paragraph of the The Last Chronicle of Barset. It is a marvelously written example of the meta-fiction that I alluded to and a fitting end to this series that will forever be close to my heart.

“And now, if the reader will allow me to seize him affectionately by the arm, we will together take our last farewell of Barset and of the towers of Barchester. I may not venture to say to him that, in this country, he and I together have wandered often through the country lanes, and have ridden together over the too-well wooded fields, or have stood together in the cathedral nave listening to the peals of the organ, or have together sat at good men's tables, or have confronted together the angry pride of men who were not good. I may not boast that any beside myself have so realized the place, and the people, and the facts, as to make such reminiscences possible as those which I should attempt to evoke by an appeal to perfect fellowship. But to me Barset has been a real county, and its city a real city, and the spires and towers have been before my eyes, and the voices of the people are known to my ears, and the pavement of the city ways are familiar to my footsteps. To them all I now say farewell. That I have been induced to wander among them too long by my love of old friendships, and by the sweetness of old faces, is a fault for which I may perhaps be more readily forgiven, when I repeat, with some solemnity of assurance, the promise made in my title, that this shall be the last chronicle of Barset. “

My commentary on the first book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Warden is here.

My commentary on the second book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Barchester Towers is here.

My commentary on the third book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Doctor Thorne is here.

My commentary on the Fourth book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Framley Parsonage is  here  and as it relates to gender roles here.

My commentary on the Fifth book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series The Small House at Allington is here.

My commentary on the Sixth book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Last Chronicle of Barset is  here.

My commentary on  the relationship of Lily Dale and Johnny Eames in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series is here.

My commentary on Trollop’s unusual Pont of View is here. 

Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope

Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope is the third book in the author’s Chronicles of Barsetshire series. Though some familiar characters make short appearances, this entry mostly focuses on characters who were unseen residents of the county in the previous books. Dr. Thorne is a physician who operates on the outskirts of the county of Barchester. The narrative is mostly concerned with his niece, Mary Thorne, and her romantic interactions with Frank Gresham, heir of the squire of Greshamsbury.

Mary is the illegitimate daughter of a poor, working class girl and the late, scandalously immoral brother of the Dr. Thorne. Upon her father’s death and her mother’s departure for America, Thorne adapts the infant Mary. Brought up by the headstrong but moral and decent doctor, Mary grows into her twenties as a person of substance. Thorne is a member of a distinguished family, but he himself is not wealthy. His slightly difficult personality gets him into moderate social and professional difficulties.

Courted by the young Frank Gresham, Mary is placed into a compromising social situation. She has grown up with the Gresham children and is close to the family. The Greshams are members of the local gentry who have found themselves in great financial difficulty. Frank’s mother, the extremely overbearing, selfish and socially scheming Lady Arabella, is determined that Frank “marry money” and rescue the family from financial ruin.  Much of the plot involves the efforts of Lady Arabella to keep Mary and Frank apart. Thus, Mary is banned from all social interaction with the Gresham family. This puts the ever suffering Mary in the position of a social pariah.  Frank, in his ardor for Mary, eventually comes to resist his mother’s edicts. Though the two eventually become engaged, Frank’s mother continues to go to great lengths to prevent the marriage. Great aguish and sacrifice ensues for Mary. Unbeknownst to the Greshams, or to Mary, is the fact that Trollope’s heroine is the potential heir to another of her uncles’ fortune, which includes the mortgaged titles to the Gresham’s estate. There are numerous additional characters and subplots.

Though filled with themes and ideas, the main philosophical thrust of the book explores the complex relationship between class, wealth, especially the wealth embodied by the new capitalistic class sprung from poverty, and genuine character. One thread of this involves what are the persistent efforts of the old aristocratic class, who have frequently fallen into hard financial times, to rescue themselves by marrying into the newly rich capitalist families. Multiple such arrangements are attempted as these upper class families attempt to arrange marriages for their sons and daughters into nouveau riche clans that they consider to be their social inferiors.

Like the previous entries in the series, Trollope’s characters show incredible nuance. Even the best of them show some flaws. The weaknesses are indeed realistic shortcomings that are characteristic of real people.  I am amazed at how well Trollope is able to craft such realistic personas.

Frank Gresham is a good example. Frank is mostly a sympathetic character and is really the male protagonist of the book. Both his fellow characters as well as Trollope heap praise upon him, which is often deserved. At one point, Trollope comments upon Frank, and points out that he is a more pivotal character than Doctor Thorne, while at the same time praising him,

Those who don't approve of a middle-aged bachelor country doctor as a hero, may take the heir to Greshamsbury in his stead, and call the book, if it so please them, "The Loves and Adventures of Francis Newbold Gresham the Younger." 

And Master Frank Gresham was not ill adapted for playing the part of a hero of this sort

Indeed Frank is virtuous, he shows his substance by choosing true love over money, he is loyal, respectful, etc.

Trollope is better than this however, and there is often more here than initially meets the eye. A close reading of Frank reveals a few flaws. Like many young men, he shows a little narcissism and insensitivity.

When Frank reveals his engagement to Mary, his conniving mother devises a plan to get him out of the country. Furthermore, under extreme familial pressure, he agrees to a complete embargo on correspondence and communication with Mary for a year or so.

This decision puts Mary in a terrible position; she is already a social outcast as a result of Lady Arabella’ s machinations and is now alone and without support as she is subject to nasty social attacks. She is also subject to hearing mostly unfounded rumors of Frank’s infidelity to her while abroad. Isolated and without friends, Mary endures the hardships quietly and with grace. Frank, who really should know better, seems oblivious to all of this. He proceeds on a pleasant world tour. He flirts with women and is tempted to go further, but is convinced to stay true to Mary by the advice of his platonic, spirited and astute friend, Miss Dunstable.

Along with this lack of perception for the suffering of others comes a little too much self-assurance. At one point , Trollope observes,

“His manners were easy, his voice under his control, and words were at his command: he was no longer either shy or noisy; but, perhaps, was open to the charge of seeming, at least, to be too conscious of his own merits. “

Trollope reveals more complexity. Even after his return, Frank comes under enormous and relentless pressure from family and friends to break the engagement. The pressure is exacerbated by the fact that his financial future with Mary looks to be bleaker and bleaker. It is almost understandable that he inwardly begins to harbor a few doubts. Once again, Trollope hints that if not for the influence of Miss Dunstable, the heir to squire of Greshamsbury would waiver.

This is, of course, just one aspect to Frank. When one looks at the big picture he is mostly a noble character who does what is right, even while under great pressure. It is to Trollope’s credit that he has been fashioned with a few very believable imperfections.

I found Doctor Thorne to be just a little less compelling then the previous two books.  The plot seemed a little less interesting. What were innovations of style and character in the previous books are still wonderful touches here, but such touches are just not as unique as they were. Regardless, this is still an excellent novel. It is characterized by amusing and interesting characters, many of whom I have not even mentioned here. It is fairly well packed with ideas and musings upon life. It is funny and entertaining. Trollope continues to engage in his unorthodox point of view and use of meta-fiction, as I describe here. Highly recommended, but I would read the first two books first.

My commentary on the first book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Warden is here.

My commentary on the second book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, Barchester Towers is here.

My commentary on Trollop’s unusual Pont of View is here.

Trollope's Intriguing and Fun Point of View

One aspect of Anthony Trollope’s first two books in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Warden and Barchester Towers, is the shifting and playful point of view that the author presents. Both novels are written mostly in third-person point of view. However, at times in the narrative, the prose shifts into first-person. Trollope actually uses at least two different forms of first-person. Very occasionally, he puts himself into the story and recounts conversations that he has had with various characters. At other times, quite often in fact, he actually refers to himself as a novelist and refers to the story as something that he has created. He also directly addresses the reader, calling him or her, “reader”.

One of my favorite instances of this occurs in Barchester Towers. The widowed Eleanor Bold is beginning to be wooed by several men, including the scheming and manipulative Mr. Slope and the buffoonish and narcissistic Bertie Stanhope. These attempted courtships become a major narrative thread that weaves itself around much of the balance of the novel. At this early stage, Trollope reveals the ultimate outcome,

But let the gentle-hearted reader be under no apprehension whatsoever. It is not destined that Eleanor shall marry Mr. Slope or Bertie Stanhope.

Why does Trollope reveal this milestone in the plot so far advance? The reader has no need to speculate. Trollope explains exactly why he does this.

And here perhaps it may be allowed to the novelist to explain his views on a very important point in the art of telling tales. He ventures to reprobate that system which goes so far to violate all proper confidence between the author and his readers by maintaining nearly to the end of the third volume a mystery as to the fate of their favourite personage. Nay, more, and worse than this,  is too frequently done. Have not often the profoundest efforts of genius been used to baffle the aspirations of the reader, to raise false hopes and false fears, and to give rise to expectations which are never to be realized? Are not promises all but made of delightful horrors, in lieu of which the writer produces nothing but most commonplace realities in his final chapter?

Trollope goes on for several additional paragraphs, explaining why he eschews this form of literary suspense. He even mentions Ann Radcliffe by name, as well as several of Jane Austin’s characters, as he playfully criticizes books that rely too much upon suspense as a plot technique. Within this digression, he also creates a mini comedy as an example.  A loose-lipped girl named Susan reveals vital plot details to her sibling, Kitty. Susan and Kitty are not characters in the main narrative. They are just a duo that Trollope creates to make his not so serious point. After the secret is revealed, he presents us with a dialog between the two,

"How very ill-natured you are, Susan," says Kitty with tears in her eyes: "I don't care a bit about it now."

Trollope next directly addresses Kitty,

Dear Kitty, if you will read my book, you may defy the ill-nature of your sister. There shall be no secret that she can tell you. Nay, take the third volume if you please— learn from the last pages all the results of our troubled story, and the story shall have lost none of its interest, if indeed there be any interest in it to lose. 

I find this marvelously inventive and amusing. I think that Trollope does succeed in creating a certain intimacy with his readers here. It is insightful as well as fun the way that he is letting us in a little on the details of his writing process. Though these variations and digressions seem to be presented in a tongue in cheek and ironic style, I do think that they are meant to say something about writing. Before reading the above, I thought that I was the only one that thought that sometimes too much suspense can actually mar a story that includes very strong and aesthetically pleasing characters.

There is another passage included in the book that once again cleverly plays this game. At one point, Eleanor is speaking to a much more honorable love interest, Reverend Francis Arabin. A misunderstanding occurs and Eleanor is angry, essentially because Arabin does not explain the situation,

Everything would have been explained, and Eleanor would have gone back to Barchester with a contented mind. How easily would she have forgiven and …had she but heard the whole truth from Mr. Arabin.  But then where would have been my novel?

That last line is priceless.

There are many additional examples of all this sprinkled throughout the narrative.

Without a doubt Trollope’s unconventional twists in his point of view liven up these novels. I tend to be a hound for innovation and variation in storytelling as I think that such experiments add diversity and spice to literature. As I continue to read Trollope I will be persistently watching for more of these intriguing digressions in his prose.

My commentary on The Warden is here.

My commentary on Barchester Towers is here.

My commentary on Doctor Thorne is here.