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A review by thaurisil
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
5.0
Following after The Warden, this second book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series sees the return of the cathedral town of Barchester, with Mr Harding, Eleanor, Dr Grantly and their clerical brethren.
Church politics are rife as always. The issue is the death of the bishop, Dr Grantly's father, and the appointment of a newcomer, Dr Proudie, as bishop. Though bishop in name, the real contenders for influence over the bishop are his wife Mrs Proudie, who henpecks him, and his unctuous over-confident chaplain, Mr Slope. There is a battle between Mr Slope and Mrs Proudie over who should be warden of Hiram's Hosiptal, and Mrs Proudie eventually emerges the victor, with Mr Quiverful, who has fourteen children, appointed as warden instead of Mr Harding, who nevertheless no longer wants the wardenship after much consideration. At the same time, Dr Grantly, infuriated by Mr Slope's wrestle for power, has his friend Mr Arabin appointed in a clerical position near Barchester in the hopes that he will succeed against Mr Slope.
The Stanhopes have also arrived from Italy. Dr Stanhope is the neglectful dean of Barchester. Of his three children, the second child is the lascivious Madeline who married an Italian who beat and crippled her, and she now titles herself Signora Neroni and lives on a sofa, with her brother and servants carrying her to parties where she seduces men. Her younger brother, Bertie, is a happy-go-lucky ambitionless man who has attempted multiple artistic careers and never had the determination to fully pursue any. The pair scandalise the conservative Barchester people with their shenanigans, with Bertie good-naturedly ignoring social conventions and hierarchies, and Signora Neroni charming even the bishop and Mr Slope.
Eleanor has been widowed with a baby for two years. Unbeknownst to her, Mr Slope pursues her for her money, and so does Bertie, under the influence of his eldest sister Charlotte. Eleanor innocently fails to see their intentions, thinking of Mr Slope only as a friend and defending him to the fury of Mr Grantly, who thinks she is consorting with the enemy. But as the narrator makes clear to us, she and Mr Arabin are, unknown to themselves, falling in love with each other.
Although on the surface this is a book about clergymen and church politics, Trollope actually includes a myriad of issues and imaginative characters. Of the black-suited clergymen, there is the pompous Dr Grantly, the henpecked Dr Proudie, the manipulative Mr Slope, the intelligent but diffident Mr Arabin, and a whole host of others. The other characters range from kind-hearted and down-to-earth Eleanor to Signora Neroni and Bertie Stanhope, two absolutely delightful characters who are incredible yet somehow believable, and who despite being mostly immoral actually do more good than some of the clergymen. There's even the poor of the town, from the six remaining beadsmen of Hiram's Hospital, to the Greenacres, who are predictably farmers, and the Lookalofts, who are also a farming family but have elbowed themselves into the position of social climbers. In fact, there are lots of social climbers here, both amongst the clergy and amongst the rural families. Juxtaposed against each other, the variety of characters creates colour and diversity, yet their storylines remain inter-connected.
Trollope satirises church politics while making it clear that he respects Christianity. His work shows disdain for the hypocrisy and pretentiousness of the clergymen and the manner in which they sully the reputation of the faith. He portrays accurately the manner in which clergymen use the pulpit to further their personal opinions, and the inability of the people to respond or protest for fear of being declaimed as heretics. Most of his clergymen have skeletons in their closets that they have to masquerade with a show of righteousness, and even bishops have very human failings.
While all this misbehaviour is going on in church, the family of Mr Harding, Eleanor and the Grantees is a picture of warmth and love. There is resentment between Eleanor and the Grantlys, but the narrator makes it very clear that this is due to a misunderstanding on the part of the Grantlys. In actual fact Eleanor's attitude towards her suitors is the same as that of the Grantlys, and the violence of feelings is due to a quietly passionate love amongst the family members. It is inevitable that they will make up in the end.
This is my second Trollope, after the Warden. I'll have to read more of his books to decide, but I think Trollope may end up being one of my favourite, if not my favourite writers. His writing is full of humour, warmth, imagination and liveliness. His characters and storylines, as varied as they are, are engaging and believable. He makes it clear that he will wrap up his story in a manner satisfactory and comforting to the reader, and this enables the reader to laugh at the comedy of errors that the characters play out without much fear of undue consequences.
Church politics are rife as always. The issue is the death of the bishop, Dr Grantly's father, and the appointment of a newcomer, Dr Proudie, as bishop. Though bishop in name, the real contenders for influence over the bishop are his wife Mrs Proudie, who henpecks him, and his unctuous over-confident chaplain, Mr Slope. There is a battle between Mr Slope and Mrs Proudie over who should be warden of Hiram's Hosiptal, and Mrs Proudie eventually emerges the victor, with Mr Quiverful, who has fourteen children, appointed as warden instead of Mr Harding, who nevertheless no longer wants the wardenship after much consideration. At the same time, Dr Grantly, infuriated by Mr Slope's wrestle for power, has his friend Mr Arabin appointed in a clerical position near Barchester in the hopes that he will succeed against Mr Slope.
The Stanhopes have also arrived from Italy. Dr Stanhope is the neglectful dean of Barchester. Of his three children, the second child is the lascivious Madeline who married an Italian who beat and crippled her, and she now titles herself Signora Neroni and lives on a sofa, with her brother and servants carrying her to parties where she seduces men. Her younger brother, Bertie, is a happy-go-lucky ambitionless man who has attempted multiple artistic careers and never had the determination to fully pursue any. The pair scandalise the conservative Barchester people with their shenanigans, with Bertie good-naturedly ignoring social conventions and hierarchies, and Signora Neroni charming even the bishop and Mr Slope.
Eleanor has been widowed with a baby for two years. Unbeknownst to her, Mr Slope pursues her for her money, and so does Bertie, under the influence of his eldest sister Charlotte. Eleanor innocently fails to see their intentions, thinking of Mr Slope only as a friend and defending him to the fury of Mr Grantly, who thinks she is consorting with the enemy. But as the narrator makes clear to us, she and Mr Arabin are, unknown to themselves, falling in love with each other.
Although on the surface this is a book about clergymen and church politics, Trollope actually includes a myriad of issues and imaginative characters. Of the black-suited clergymen, there is the pompous Dr Grantly, the henpecked Dr Proudie, the manipulative Mr Slope, the intelligent but diffident Mr Arabin, and a whole host of others. The other characters range from kind-hearted and down-to-earth Eleanor to Signora Neroni and Bertie Stanhope, two absolutely delightful characters who are incredible yet somehow believable, and who despite being mostly immoral actually do more good than some of the clergymen. There's even the poor of the town, from the six remaining beadsmen of Hiram's Hospital, to the Greenacres, who are predictably farmers, and the Lookalofts, who are also a farming family but have elbowed themselves into the position of social climbers. In fact, there are lots of social climbers here, both amongst the clergy and amongst the rural families. Juxtaposed against each other, the variety of characters creates colour and diversity, yet their storylines remain inter-connected.
Trollope satirises church politics while making it clear that he respects Christianity. His work shows disdain for the hypocrisy and pretentiousness of the clergymen and the manner in which they sully the reputation of the faith. He portrays accurately the manner in which clergymen use the pulpit to further their personal opinions, and the inability of the people to respond or protest for fear of being declaimed as heretics. Most of his clergymen have skeletons in their closets that they have to masquerade with a show of righteousness, and even bishops have very human failings.
While all this misbehaviour is going on in church, the family of Mr Harding, Eleanor and the Grantees is a picture of warmth and love. There is resentment between Eleanor and the Grantlys, but the narrator makes it very clear that this is due to a misunderstanding on the part of the Grantlys. In actual fact Eleanor's attitude towards her suitors is the same as that of the Grantlys, and the violence of feelings is due to a quietly passionate love amongst the family members. It is inevitable that they will make up in the end.
This is my second Trollope, after the Warden. I'll have to read more of his books to decide, but I think Trollope may end up being one of my favourite, if not my favourite writers. His writing is full of humour, warmth, imagination and liveliness. His characters and storylines, as varied as they are, are engaging and believable. He makes it clear that he will wrap up his story in a manner satisfactory and comforting to the reader, and this enables the reader to laugh at the comedy of errors that the characters play out without much fear of undue consequences.