{"id":1223,"date":"2016-03-17T00:24:50","date_gmt":"2016-03-16T18:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fableandi.com\/?p=1223"},"modified":"2020-02-23T11:00:17","modified_gmt":"2020-02-23T05:30:17","slug":"book-review-warden-anthony-trollope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thebooksatchel.com\/book-review-warden-anthony-trollope\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: The Warden by Anthony Trollope"},"content":{"rendered":"
Anthony Trollope is one of the influential novelists of the Victorian era. Having never read any of his works before, I decided that I should try them out this year, thanks to a bunch of enthusiastic ladies at Instagram who introduced the author to me. The Warden<\/em> is very much like its contemporaries, detailed in the writing style, yet with light and comical moments. What makes The Warden<\/em> by Anthony Trollope stand out is the splendid way of addressing the hierarchy of the Church, ache of the choice between love and principles and the role of media in influencing the common mass both in ethical and unethical ways. Perhaps this is one of the few novels that does a masterful depiction of various bodies \u00a0that make up the society in the 1800’s. The Warden<\/em> is the first in the series titled Barchester Chronicles<\/em> or Barsetshire Chronicles.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “What on earth could be more luxurious than a sofa, a book, and a cup of coffee?…Was ever anything so civil?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This quote sums up the flow of the book. The Warden<\/em>\u00a0is a quiet novel, slow in pace yet with an odd beauty. It is concerned with the trials of one Septimus Harding, a respected, well-liked clergyman in the cathedral town of Barchester, who is also the warden of Hiram\u2019s Hospital, an alms-house for a dozen aged\u00a0 bedesmen.\u00a0 Mr. John Bold, a young reformer, is convinced that the hospital funds are being unfairly allocated and that the warden\u2019s income of 800 pounds is unnecessarily given for the minimal duties he is expected to perform. Mr Harding is placed at the center of the controversy and struggles to form an opinion on the matter.\u00a0 His claim to the money is supported by the clerical community, especially by the forceful archdeacon Dr Grantly, the son of the Bishop and the husband of Mr Harding\u2019s eldest daughter, while the public has differing opinions on the matter. John Bold is a dear friend of Harding and is in love with his younger daughter, and\u00a0his tribulations of choice between principles and love are painstakingly presented.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It took me five or six chapters to get in tune with Trollope\u2019s writing. After I got accustomed to his writing style, I thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the book. What I loved about\u00a0The Warden\u00a0were Trollope\u2019s descriptive passages.\u00a0 In addition, here are many instances where the\u00a0author gives his own views on the matter in addition to telling Harding\u2019s story. This commentary of the author gives us pieces of gossip about the town and characters, which is a welcome change in the flow of the narrative. There are humorous sneers at newspaper men, politicians, clergymen, wives etc which had me chuckling in between. Trollope successfully shows the impact of newspaper\/media in forming a public opinion as well as how the media personnel often stray from reality of the situation to create a controversy. Equally striking is the change in the bedesmen (who are fond friends of Harding and even receive some extra monetary benefit from his own fund in addition to what they are entitled to) who are blinded by greed and sign the petition against him, thus showing the rawness of human character that is reciprocated even to a benevolent soul.<\/p>\n <\/p>\nReview<\/h3>\n