The Warden (Penguin Classics)

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a b c Terry, R. C. (1977). The Artist in Hiding. London: Macmillan Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-349-03382-9. ISBN 978-1-349-03382-9. Trollope's literary reputation dipped during the last years of his life, [4] but he regained somewhat of a following by the mid-20th century. The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English, from the eighteenth century and the very first novels to the beginning of the First World War. Read more Details

Chapter 1. The Reverend Septimus Harding is a modest clergyman in the cathedral town of Barchester in the south west of England. He is in charge of an almshouse for twelve old workmen, and he supplements their meagre weekly allowance from his own stipend. Rumours begin to circulate that his own generous income should be divided amongst his charges, according to the terms of Hiram the founder’s will. Archdeacon Theophilus Grantly, Mr Harding's indefatigable son-in-law, married to Susan Grantley, originally Susan Harding. The archdeacon's father is the Bishop of Barchester. He does not agree with John Bold and is opposed to his father-in-law relinquishing his office. But the study of this moral problem remains at a purely personal level. The warden’s distressed state of mind is traced minutely by Trollope, but no attempt is made to explore the larger issues of ecclesiastical politics, finances, and corruption – even though famous legal cases are mentioned in the narrative.

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Radford, Ceri (6 March 2016). "Doctor Thorne review: Fellowes and Trollope is a happy marriage". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235 . Retrieved 31 October 2020. What I will do, however, is to spend some time looking at Trollope’s writing, specifically at his descriptions of Sir Abraham Haphazard and of Mr. Harding’s dealings with that towering personage. Trollope, Anthony (1876). Australia and New Zealand. London: Chapman and Hall. pp.145–153. hdl: 2027/mdp.39015010728460.

And, as he finished what he had to say, he played up such a tune as never before had graced the chambers of any attorney-general. He was standing up, gallantly fronting Sir Abraham, and his right arm passed with bold and rapid sweeps before him, as though he were embracing some huge instrument, which allowed him to stand thus erect; and with the fingers of his left hand he stopped, with preternatural velocity, a multitude of strings, which ranged from the top of his collar to the bottom of the lappet of his coat. Mr Septimus Harding is the meek, widowed and elderly warden of Hiram's Hospital and precentor of Barchester Cathedral, in the fictional county of Barsetshire.Bowen, Sara (2017). "Angela Thirkell and "Miss Austen" ". The Jane Austen Journal. 39: 112–125 – via Gale Academic Onefile. It was so hard that the pleasant waters of his little stream should be disturbed and muddied ... that his quiet paths should be made a battlefield: that the unobtrusive corner of the world which been allotted to him ... made miserable and unsound' Allen, W. (1991) [1954]. The English Novel, London: Penguin, in Pérez Pérez, Miguel Ángel (1999). "The Un-Trollopian Trollope: Some Notes on the Barsetshire Novels". Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingles. 12: 127–142 – via RUA.

As trends in the world of the novel moved increasingly towards subjectivity and artistic experimentation, Trollope's standing with critics suffered. But Lord David Cecil noted in 1934 that "Trollope is still very much alive ... and among fastidious readers." He noted that Trollope was "conspicuously free from the most characteristic Victorian faults". [72] In the 1940s, Trollopians made further attempts to resurrect his reputation; he enjoyed a critical renaissance in the 1960s, and again in the 1990s. Some critics today have a particular interest in Trollope's portrayal of women—he caused remark even in his own day for his deep insight and sensitivity to the inner conflicts caused by the position of women in Victorian society. [73] [74] [75] [76] [77]

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BBC Radio 4 released another radio adaptation titled The Barchester Chronicles in 2014. [47] This programme was created by Michael Symmons Roberts, and also covered all six Barsetshire novels. [48] Inspired works [ edit ] It is probable that Tom Towers considered himself the most powerful man in Europe; and so he walked on from day to day, studiously striving to look a man, but knowing within his breast that he was a god. Despite a series not initially being intended, [3] few have argued against the importance of appreciating each novel as part of the Chronicles of Barsetshire. As R. C. Terry writes, "the ironies embedded in the novel achieve their full effect only when one considers the entire Barsetshire series". [26] Mary Poovey suggests that even before they were formally published as a series, reviewers understood their collective value. As The Examiner (1867) wrote, "the public should have these Barsetshire novels extant, not only as detached works, but duly bound, lettered, and bought as a connected series". [3]