Thursday, October 14, 2010

The Warden – Anthony Trollope

I’m very pleased to announce that it’s finally happened – I’ve fallen in love with Trollope. I’ve stopped being intimidated by the length of some of his books now that I’ve got some solid evidence I’m going to enjoy all those massed words and generally I can’t wait to get stuck in. The only small fly in the ointment is that there doesn’t seem to be a uniform and cheap edition of Trollope and I can’t help but feel that they would all have looked so lovely had I been able to get my hands on a long row of matching volumes. Still that’s not the sort of consideration which should get in the way at the beginning of what I think will be a long and rewarding relationship – true love isn’t based on appearances.

Trollope is also playing hard to get, which in no way lessons his charms but has made me curious. I can’t buy his books new on the high street in Leicester which is disappointing (but not unexpected from past experience). I frequently see Trollope’s in charity shops (sorry), but by the time I’ve checked to see if I have them they’ve generally sold, so why is it internet only? Another retail mystery.

But back to ‘The Warden’ the plot is simple (especially after my Wilkie Collins binge) the Warden in question is Mr Harding, a man of unimpeachable personal integrity who’s been enjoying a comfortable income and home for some years as custodian of Hiram’s Hospital. A youthful local reformer – John Bold - who also happens to be in love with Harding’s daughter takes it into his head to expose the injustice of the warden’s income compared to his wards, who scenting the chance of money mostly get behind the call for reform. Solicitors are instructed and the case starts to take on a momentum of its own especially after the press take it up. Poor Mr Harding who had never questioned his income or his entitlement to it is mortified, the case against him founders but how is he to reconcile himself to the idea that he may not truly be entitled to what he’s enjoyed for so long?

Poor Mr Bold too who realises all the consequences of his conduct somewhat to late – his motives are pure enough; a genuine desire to improve the lot of the poor,(and perhaps a little desire for public regard) but his actions are calculated to hurt those he personally loves and esteems however a noble and roman attitude he adopts. And this is before we even look at the 12 old men who inhabit the almshouses; their situation as it stands is one of comfort and ease, if not of wealth. All their wants are taken care of, and in the form of Mr Harding they have a kind and dedicated master – can reform improve their lot? Well no, it probably can’t...

I found it an absorbing moral dilemma, but I found that in ‘Cousin Henry’ too and yet it still left me a little cold. What ‘The Warden’ has is humour, even laugh out loud humour and a truly appealing narrator who takes the time to address the reader in the most engaging way with little asides about his characters, but the surest sign of burgeoning love was how fresh the text seemed.

I no longer know if this is a true sign of a classic, or a good indicator that I’m enjoying a book, but I do find reading 18th or 19th century lit I can break things into two camps – books where the language feels right to me, and books where I just can’t fall into the rhythm of the words at all – so far I’ve failed utterly with Dickens, but love Wilkie Collins. I’m ambivalent about the Brontes, a fan of Mrs Oliphant, not so keen on George Eliot, but enjoy Elizabeth Gaskell – and I loved ‘The Warden’ but found ‘Cousin Henry’ heavy going yet a brief plot précis makes both sound equally appealing to me. I do know that when everything about a book falls into place for me it’s a tremendously satisfactory experience, and in the end that’s all I read for.



13 comments:

  1. Trollope is one of my favorite writers--believe it or not, for me Trollope is a comfort read! I hope you will go ahead and read the whole ecclesiastical series, and then start with the political novels (the Palliser series)...One of the things I love about Trollope is that he presents a universe where moral decisions are paramount....

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lucky you! What a lot of fun you are going to have in the forseeable future. You will love Barchester Towers etc aa chance to meet all those great characters again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. bibliophiliac - I can well believe it, I can imagine reading 'The Warden' many more times and finding something good every time. I have Barchester Towers already and am just wondering how best to track down the other 4. Torn between an amazon splurge which I can't really afford or a 2nd hand hunt which will be cheaper but... Either way it's nice to know there are so many books waiting for me

    ReplyDelete
  4. Harriet - I do feel lucky, so exciting to discover a new favourite, especially one who's been so prolific

    ReplyDelete
  5. There are huge gaps in my Vic Lit reading. Like you I'm not particularly fond of Dickens but I do like Elizabeth Gaskell. Not read Trollope either but I'm intrigued by your post and would like to read him.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Yay for Trollope. The Warden was the gateway drug for me as well. I think the fact that it is nice and short helps entice one into reading it. I have finished the Barchester series and have the Pallisar series on my shelf just waiting for me to begin.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thomas, Gateway drug is about right. Had to stop myself from starting Barchester Towers - don't want to over do it all at once... Looking forward to meeting you on the 13th.

    Vintage reading - if you decide to give Trollope a go I say (on the back of a lot of excellent advice which I ignored for far to long) that this is the place to start. If you don't like it I'm guessing he isn't for you, if you do like it - well I'm waiting to see what happens next too.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've not read Trollope yet, however I'm slowly trying to get over my intimidation and fear of classics. I've read them over the years, but it takes me a bit of time to reconcile my fear and just get reading. This one sounds fabulous, but I think I'm going to also try Wilkie Collins, too. Currently, I'm a little behind on The Count of Monte Cristo readalong, but it's well worth it! Thanks for putting this on my radar as well!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Coffee and Book Chick - I'm with you on how intimidatingly long some of these books are. It didn't bother me when I was young and time never seemed like an issue but now there are so many books I want to read and so little time to do it in that short books always seem to win. I do like Collins though and Lyn at I Prefer Reading has been recommending The Haunted Hotel and other novellas. I have it on the shelf and think I'll read it soon. If you're planning on trying Collins it sounds like a great place to start.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I liked reading your thoughts here. I've read Barchester Towers, and it was slow and arduous, had I not been ill I'm not sure I'd have finished it. I was disappointed in it - I'd wanted to like Trollope maybe The Warden should be read. I do however love Dickens. Part of the great variety of life what ticks one persons box doesn't someone elses.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Joan Hunter Dunn - I'm in the mood for all things Victorian (or at least some things Victorian) at the moment so this kind of read is ticking boxes for me, but there are other times when I just can't stick it out long enough to get into a given book. 'Classics' are a funny old business...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I'm still scared of Trollope and have yet to read any of his books. But I love Dickens and Collins and all things Victorian so am hoping to give him a try one day. So I'm guessing I should start with this book, right?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Chasingbawa - I know just what you mean. It took me a long time to get to Trollope but now I'm loving him. I think 'The Warden' is an excellent starting point when the time is right:)

    ReplyDelete