1815: Anthony Trollope - Resources and General Discussion

(1815–1882)

Anthony Trollope was one of the great Victorian authors, and one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists. Best known for his series of novels known as the Barchester Chronicles, consisting of six novels set in the fictitious English county of Barsetshire and its cathedral town of Barchester. Besides these, he also wrote various novels on political, social, and gender issues, and on other topical matters in the Victorian Age.

I am definitely hoping to read some Trollope this year.

I've read the six books of Trollope's Barsetshire series. I thought the second one, Barchester Towers, was the best, but I recommend all of them. Each has its own plot and theme, but there is enough overlap in characters and background that it is best to take the series in its proper order. Trollope is a comfortable author to read--nothing too difficult or challenging, but engaging characters in a well-crafted story.

My intention this year is to read the Palliser series. If I get through that, then there are several of his standalone novels I would like to read as well.

I've started The Way We Live Now, which seems to be a standalone, largely because it figured in Graham Greene's The Human Factor.

Great to see you here, Rebecca!

I will join you reading The Way We Live Now.

I expect that it will make a very interesting comparison with The Financier (1912) and The Titan (1914).

I haven't finished reading The Financier by Theodore Dreiser yet, a mere 50 pages to go. After that, I will tackle The Titan first, which was already reviewed by Barry.

Financial problems, and their influence of life styles, are of all ages. You might be tempted to read Dreiser....

Anyway, I have several novels by Trollope which I hope to read, at least some. But remember, I am not a pensionado, I can't keep up with you guys (gals) all the time...

I'm afraid I'll be reading The Way We Live Now relatively slowly, Edwin, so you may well finish it before me.

I've just finished and The Way We Live Now and thought it was wonderful! It was my first but it won't be my last Trollope! My review is on my Club Read thread and the book page.

>Ahem, Rebecca. That was just about 2 weeks. I didn't even manage the blow the dust of my copy.

Looking forward to your review.

I understand somewhere there's to be a tutored read of The Eustace Diamonds in February....anyone know about this? I've read the Barcsetshire series and the first 2 books of the Pallisers. I plan to finish the Pallisers this year and The Way We Live Now. Also read a few other misc. novels and the Autobiography.

I finally got around to reviewing Can You Forgive Her?, the first in Trollope's Palliser series, a novel with a complex and engaging plot that examines some of the strictures placed upon women in the mid to late 19th century. My review is on my Club Read thread and the book page.

I liked your review of Can You Forgive Her?, rebeccanyc, but I couldn't get through The Eustace Diamonds, which is the only Trollope I've attempted. It was the endless repetition and the glacial pace that killed it for me. Have you read that one, and if so, how does it compare to CYFH?

No, I want to read the Palliser series in order, so I started with Can You Forgive Her?. Next up is Phineas Finn, and then The Eustace Diamonds. I think a slow pace is typical for much 19th century fiction, but I found the two Trollopes I've read sped up at the end.

I'm in the middle of The Eustace Diamonds. It does seem to slow down in the middle, but I've just passed the mid-way point, and it's suddenly picked up (I won't spoil it for anybody). So we'll see how it goes. I have to say that it is harder to have sympathy for the characters, as the main ones aren't particularly lovable.

Could anyone recommend a good "starting point" for someone new to Trollope? I've never quite got round to him, but as a distant kinsman I think his centenary year is a good time to start.

Hi Duncan,

Last year, the 75 Books Challenge for 2012 offered a tutored reading of Trollope's first novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, The Warden.

You can find the postings here: http://www.librarything.nl/topic/140276

>14 DuncanHill: Or you could try one of the non-series novels as I did with The Way We Live Now. Or you could start the Palliser series with Can You Forgive Her? (likewise as I did), although people generally recommend starting with the Barsetshire series as Edwin suggests in >15 edwinbcn:. Since I've only read two books by Trollope so far, I shouldn't really be making recommendations anyway!

>14 DuncanHill: Definitely, The Warden. It's short and easy. If you like that, then move on to the rest of the Barsetshire novels. If that's too "light" and you want more politics, I'd go straight to Phineas Finn.

The publisher Delphi Classics has created an Anthony Trollope Pinterest board with dozens of pictures and links.

https://www.pinterest.com/delphiclassics/anthony-trollope/

Thanks for that link, Steven. I've never really explored Pinterest -- it's all I can do to keep up with LT!

Just saw on the Guardian that they're digging out the Tv version of the Pallisers again. http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2016/jan/27/the-pallisers... How long will it take until Andrew Davies puts his mitts on it?

>20 MissWatson: Interesting, because I'm (very slowly) watching the Pallisers TV series from Netflix.

>22 kac522: I've been holding off because I still have the last 2 books to read....I may break down, though.

This is one of the few exceptions where I watched the series first. But I will get around to the books!

>23 MissWatson: I did that for Clarissa-- at almost 2,000 pages I wanted to be sure the story was worth the effort ;)
As to the Pallisers, I'm sure I could watch at least half of it without spoiling the last 2 books, right?

>24 kac522: There are 26 episodes in all. The storyline of The Eustace Diamonds begins in episode 12, if I remember correctly, so you're probably safe if you don't want to spoil the last books.

ETC

>25 MissWatson: OK, thanks. I borrowed the first 4 discs from the library to watch next week. I'm sure I'll be safe with those.