The ''Chronicles of Barsetshire'' is a series of six novels by English author
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope (; 24 April 1815 – 6 December 1882) was an English novelist and civil servant of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'', which revolves ar ...
, published between 1855 and 1867. They are set in the fictional English county of
Barsetshire
Barsetshire is a fictional English county created by Anthony Trollope in the series of novels known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. The county town and cathedral city is Barchester. Other towns in the novels include Silverbridge, Hogglestock an ...
and its cathedral town of Barchester. The novels concern the dealings of the
clergy
Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...
and the
gentry
Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past.
Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies
''Gentry'', in its widest ...
, and the political, amatory, and social manoeuvrings that go on among them.
A series was not planned when Trollope began writing ''
The Warden
''The Warden'' is a novel by English author Anthony Trollope published by Longman in 1855. It is the first book in the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'' series, followed by '' Barchester Towers''.
Synopsis
''The Warden'' concerns Mr Septimus Ha ...
''.
Rather, after creating Barsetshire, he found himself returning to it as the setting for his following works.
It wasn't until 1878, 11 years after ''
The Last Chronicle of Barset
''The Last Chronicle of Barset'' is a novel by English author Anthony Trollope, published in 1867. It is the sixth and final book in the '' Chronicles of Barsetshire'' series, preceded by '' The Small House at Allington''. The novel is set in the ...
'', that these six novels were collectively published as the ''Chronicles of Barset''.
By many, this series is regarded as Trollope's finest work.
Both modern and contemporary critics have praised the realism of the Barsetshire county and the intricacies of its characters. However, Trollope also received criticism, particularly for his plot development and the use of an intrusive narrative voice.
The series has been adapted for television in ''
The Barchester Chronicles
''The Barchester Chronicles'' is a 1982 British television serial produced by Jonathan Powell for the BBC. It is an adaptation by Alan Plater of Anthony Trollope's first two Chronicles of Barsetshire, ''The Warden'' (1855) and ''Barchester Towe ...
'' (1982) and ''
Doctor Thorne
''Doctor Thorne'' by Anthony Trollope (Chapman and Hall, London, 1858) is the third novel in the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire'' series, between ''Barchester Towers'' and ''Framley Parsonage''. The idea of the plot was suggested to Trollope by ...
'' (2016), and as dramatised radio programmes produced by
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
. Author
Angella Thirkell continued writing novels set in Barsetshire throughout the twentieth century.
Plot summary
''The Warden''
Mr Harding, Warden of Hiram’s Hospital, is accused of dishonestly allocating hospital finances. However the accuser, John Bold, is actually in love with Mr Harding’s daughter, Eleanor. Nevertheless, John takes the matter to the press, subjecting Mr Harding to public incrimination. Mr Harding is supported by his son-in-law, Archdeacon Grantly, who insists he maintain his innocence. Finally, following an ultimatum from Eleanor, John drops the case and apologises. Eleanor and John get married and Mr Harding resigns as Warden of Hiram to become Rector of St. Cuthberts.
''Barchester Towers''
Following the death of Bishop Grantly, Dr Proudie is appointed as the new bishop, defeating rival candidate and son of the former bishop, Archdeacon Grantly. Dr Proudie (now Bishop Proudie) is supported by his imperious wife, Mrs Proudie and the Chaplain, Mr Slope, all of whom want to steer the church away from traditional values. To fill the position of Warden at Hiram's Hospital, Mrs Proudie insists Mr Slope backs Mr Quiverful for the role. However, Mr Slope is infatuated with widow Eleanor Bold, and instead, secretly supports the reappointment of her father Mr Harding, alongside the Archdeacon and Mr Arabin. Mr Slope eventually proposes to Eleanor, and in doing so, exposes his dealings with both sides. In the end, he is ostracised by the community, while Mr Arabin marries Eleanor and Mr Quiverful is appointed Warden of Hiram.
''Doctor Thorne''
After the Greshamsbury estate suffers a significant loss in value, Frank Gresham, heir to the Greshamsbury estate, is being pressed by his family to marry a woman of wealth, such as Miss Dunstable. However, Frank is in love with Mary Thorne, niece of the Greshams' family physician, Doctor Thorne. While Mary appears to have no fortune, she is actually the illegitimate niece of the millionaire Sir Roger Scatcherd, a fact known only to Doctor Thorne. Following the death of Roger and his son Louis, Mary, being the eldest niece, receives Roger’s inheritance. Despite having already consented to their marriage, Frank’s family are far more welcoming of Mary after hearing she now has the wealth to restore the estate's fortune.
''Framley Parsonage''
In an attempt to make connections with high society, young vicar Mark Robarts foolishly guarantees a loan to the corrupt MP, Nate Sowerby. With Mr Sowerby not repaying the loan, Mark’s friend Lord Lufton eventually steps in and saves his friend from financial disaster. All the while, Mark’s sister Lucy moves to Framley and falls in love with Lord Lufton. However, Lucy rejects Lord Lufton’s proposal, knowing that his mother, Lady Lufton, refuses to accept women of her status. Lady Lufton is adamant her son marry Griselda Grantly, daughter of the Archdeacon. However in the end, Lady Lufton abandons her pretentious desires, and asks Lucy to accept her son’s proposal, particularly after witnessing Lucy selflessly care for Mrs Crawley. Meanwhile, Mrs Proudie reappears and reignites a feud with the Archdeacon and his wife, Mrs Grantly. Another subplot features the marriage of Doctor Thorne and the wealthy Miss Dunstable, who was initially the choice of Frank Gresham’s family.
''The Small House at Allington''
Sisters Bell and Lily Dale live with their widowed mother in the Small House of Allington. The squire, Christopher Dale, wants Bell to marry his nephew Bernard, who is heir to the estate. Bernard introduces Lily Dale to Adolphus Crosbie, who later proposes to her. However upon learning Lily Dale is not entitled to any significant inheritance, Crosbie also proposes to Lady Alexandria of the prominent de Courcy family, leaving Lily Dale heartbroken. Upon hearing this, Johnny Eames, lifelong admirer of Lily Dale, beats up Crosbie in an act of which promotes him to local hero. Yet despite his devotion, Lily Dale, still emotionally devastated, rejects his proposal and chooses instead to live with her mother. In the end, Bell marries a local doctor. Crosbie and Lady Alexandria marry, but their life is unhappy, and they decide to separate.
''The Last Chronicle of Barset''
The main storyline follows Rev. Josiah Crawley, introduced in ''Framley Parsonage'', who is ostracised by the community after being wrongly accused of stealing money. Meanwhile, Major Grantly, son of the Archdeacon, falls for daughter of the disgraced Reverend, Grace Crawley. The Archdeacon, initially objecting to the marriage, eventually consents after Mr Crawley's innocence is confirmed. John Eames continues an unsuccessful pursuit for Lily Dale, while the beloved Warden, Mr Harding, dies of old age. Mrs Proudie also reappears, and demands her husband, Bishop Proudie, ban Mr Crawley from holding services. However, being a proud man, Mr Crawley refuses to comply, before Mrs Proudie dies of a heart attack.
Conception and publication
While working at the General Post Office, Trollope travelled through the English countryside, witnessing the conventions of rural life and the politics surrounding the church and the
manor house
A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
.
On one particular trip to the cathedral town of
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
in 1852, Trollope developed his ideas for ''The Warden'', of which centred around the clergy.
In doing so, the county of Barsetshire was born.
However, Trollope did not begin writing ''The Warden'' until July 1853 – a year after his trip to Salisbury.
Upon completion, he sent the manuscript to
Longman
Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in London, England, in 1724 and is owned by Pearson PLC.
Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is also ...
for publishing, with the first copies released in 1855.
While it was not a huge success, Trollope felt he had received more recognition than for any of his previous works.
While ''The Warden'' was intended as a one-off,
Trollope returned to Barsetshire for the sequel ''Barchester Towers''.
It was published in 1857, again by Longman, finding a similar level of success to its predecessor.
However, Trollope's greatest literary success, based on copies sold, came in the third Barsetshire instalment, ''Doctor Thorne''.
It was published by
Chapman & Hall
Chapman & Hall is an imprint owned by CRC Press, originally founded as a British publishing house in London in the first half of the 19th century by Edward Chapman and William Hall. Chapman & Hall were publishers for Charles Dickens (from 1840 ...
in 1858. Trollope credits his brother Tom for developing the storyline.
Following this success, ''
The Cornhill'' magazine approached Trollope requesting he write a novel to be released in
serial parts.
Thus, Trollope began what is now ''Framley Parsonage''. In his autobiography, he explains that by "placing Framley Parsonage near Barchester, I was able to fall back upon my old friends",
hence forming what is now the fourth ''Chronicle of Barsetshire''. The novel was released to ''The Cornhill'' in 16 monthly instalments, from January 1860 to April 1861, and later published as a three-volume work by
Smith, Elder & Co.
Now at the height of his popularity,
Trollope wrote the fifth novel in the series, ''The Small House at Allington''.
It too was published in serial parts between September 1862 and April 1864 in ''The Cornhill'', and also published as a 2-volume novel by Smith, Elder & Co. in 1864.
Regarding his inspiration, some suggest the character of Johnny Eames was inspired by Trollope's reflection of his younger self. Finally came the ''Last Chronicle of Barset'', of which Trollope claimed was "the best novel I have written".
He took inspiration from his father when creating protagonist Josiah Crawley, while reflecting his mother in the character of Mrs Crawley.
Again, it was released serially between 1866 and 1867 and later published as a 2-volume work in 1867 by Smith, Elder & Co.
There is little to suggest that Anthony Trollope ever planned on writing these six novels collectively as the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire''.
Rather, after developing the county of Barsetshire in ''The Warden'', Trollope found himself frequently returning, often in response to the request of publishers. In doing so, prominent characters like Mrs Proudie and the Archdeacon could be reintroduced. It wasn't until he wrote ''Framley Parsonage'' that Trollope began to envision these works culminating to a series.
In his autobiography, he notes that after releasing ''The Last Chronicle of Barset'', he wished for a "combined republication of those tales which are occupied within the fictitious county of Barsetshire".
However, due to copyright issues, the six works were not formally republished as the ''Chronicles of Barset'' until 1878, 11 years after the ''Last Chronicle''. It was published by Chapman & Hall, of whom also published ''Doctor Thorne''.
Reception
As a series
The ''Chronicles of Barsetshire'' are widely regarded as Anthony Trollope's most famous literary works.
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Events
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''Anthony Trollope''. Oxon: Routledge. In 1867, following the release of ''The Last Chronicle of Barset'', a writer for ''
The Examiner'' called these novels "the best set of sequels in our literature".
Even today, these works remain his most popular. Modern critic Arthur Pollard writes; "Trollope is and will remain best known for his Barsetshire series",
while P. D. Edwards offers a similar insight; "During his own lifetime, and for long afterwards, his reputation rested chiefly on the Barsetshire novels".
Despite a series not initially being intended,
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".
Mary Poovey
Mary Louise Poovey is an American cultural historian and literary critic whose work focuses on the Victorian Era. She is currently Samuel Rudin University Professor in the Humanities at New York University, and Director of the Institute for th ...
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".
Discussion has also surrounded the extent to which Trollope’s literary prowess is displayed throughout the ''Chronicles of Barsetshire''. R.C. Terry argues that the series does "not reveal all of Trollope’s skills"
while A. O. J. Cockshut similarly believes it is "simple in conception" and "not fully characteristic of his genius".
[Cockshut, A.O.J. (1955). Anthony Trollope: A Critical Study. London: Collins, 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.] However, in his response to Cockshut, Miguel Ángel Pérez Pérez argues that "Trollope disguises many of his own opinions"
throughout the series, and therefore they "are not so simple in conception, since they allow for different readings".
Praise
Trollope was praised for the characters he developed throughout the series. ''The London Review'' (1867) stated "we have thoroughly accepted the reality of their existence",
while ''
The Athenaeum'' (1867) wrote, "if the reader does not believe in Barsetshire and all who live therein
the fault is not in Mr Trollope, but in himself".
Most reviewers, like ''The Examiner'' (1867), agreed that reintroducing characters into the later instalment was Trollope "realiz
ng these charactersmore and more completely".
Mary Poovey similarly believes that such repetition meant the characters "seemed to live outside the pages of the novels".
However, in contrast, the ''
Saturday Review'' (1861) wrote that Trollope's practice of "borrowing from himself" was "at best a lazy and seductive artifice".
Trollope was also praised for the creation of Barsetshire, with critics like Arthur Pollard writing ''“''He has created a recognisable world". Similarly,
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...
claimed it was "as if some giant had hewn a great lump out of the earth and put it under a glass case, with all its inhabitants going about their daily business". Contemporary reviewers like ''The Examiner'' (1858) also praised the realism of his fictitious world; "
rollopeinvites us, not to Barchester, but into Barsetshire".
However, while inspired by real English counties, Barsetshire was, as P. D. Edwards writes, "explicitly his own creature".
[ in Wright, Andrew (1983). ''Anthony Trollope: Dream and Art''. London: Macmillan Press. .] Andrew Wright explains this union of the real and imaginary as being "conjured up out of an imagination that is at once fantastic and domestic".
Moreover, Arthur Pollard argues that setting these novels within "the clerical community" was "a brilliant choice" as it was "the central concern in the eyes of the nation".
The Chronicles of Barsetshire were also commended by Trollope’s literary contemporaries.
Margaret Oliphant
Margaret Oliphant Wilson Oliphant (born Margaret Oliphant Wilson; 4 April 1828 – 20 June 1897) was a Scottish novelist and historical writer, who usually wrote as Mrs. Oliphant. Her fictional works cover "domestic realism, the historical nove ...
called the series "the most perfect art
a kind of inspiration",
while
Virginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device.
Woolf was born i ...
wrote: "We believe in Barchester as we believe in the reality of our own weekly bills".
A writer for ''The Saturday Review'' (1864) compared Trollope’s work to that of
Jane Austen
Jane Austen (; 16 December 1775 – 18 July 1817) was an English novelist known primarily for her six major novels, which interpret, critique, and comment upon the British landed gentry at the end of the 18th century. Austen's plots of ...
, arguing that in ''The Small House at Allington'', Trollope does "what Miss Austen did, only that he does it in the modern style, with far more detail and far more analysis of character".
Criticism
The series has been subject to criticism regarding its plot development. ''The Saturday Review'' (1861) wrote that "
e plot of ''Framley Parsonage'' is really extremely poor",
going so far as to say "Mr Trollope is not naturally a good constructor of plots".
Similarly, critic
Walter Allen
Walter Ernest Allen (23 February 1911 – 28 February 1995) was an English literary critic and novelist and one of the Birmingham Group of authors. He is best known for his classic study ''The English Novel: a Short Critical History'' (1951).
...
claimed Trollope has "little skill in plot construction", while Stephen Wall suggested the outcome of ''The Small House at Allington'' "is visible early on".
Trollope was also criticised, particularly by contemporary reviewers, for his intrusive narrative voice throughout the series. In her essay, Mary Poovey draws on an example from ''The Warden'', where Trollope offers his own insight into the character of Archdeacon Grantly – "our narrative has required that we should see more of his weakness than his strength". ''The Saturday Review (1861)'' refers to this as his "petty trick of passing a judgment on his own fictitious personages",
while ''
The Leader'' (1855) argued that because of such judgement "the 'illusion of the scene' is invariably perilled".
Similarly,
Henry James
Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...
referred to Trollope as having a "suicidal satisfaction in reminding the reader that the story he was telling was only, after all, make-believe". However, Andrew Wright notes that at the time, it was not uncommon for authors to incorporate their own voice into their stories, and thus criticism such as that of James took issue not with the "intrusiveness, but arbitrariness"
of Trollope's voice. As these novels started being appreciated as a series however, Mary Poovey notes a shift away from this point of criticism. She suggests this was both "a response to changes in Trollope's novelistic practice" and "a departure from an earlier critical consensus" regarding the use of a personal, narrative voice.
Adaptations
TV series
In 1982, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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...
'' – a television adaptation of ''The Warden'' and ''Barchester Towers'' directed by
.
as Mr Slope.
The series consisted of 7 episodes, released originally on BBC 2 between 10 November and 22 December 1982. The first 2 episodes were dedicated primarily to ''The Warden'' while the remaining 5 covered ''Barchester Towers''.
award for Best Design and was nominated for 7 others, including Best Drama Series.
In 2016, ''
'' was adapted for television as a 3-part mini-series. In the UK, it was released on
between the 6–20 March 2016. It was directed by
''.
In 1993, ''The Small House at Allington'' was released as a dramatised radio programme on
.
It was created by Martin Wade and directed by Cherry Cookson.
Each character was played by a voice actor, with the story being accompanied by music and sound effects. Following its success, the other five novels were also adapted to this form and released between December 1995 and March 1998 as ''The Chronicles of Barset''.
BBC Radio 4 released another radio adaptation titled ''The Barchester Chronicles'' in 2014. This programme was created by
, and also covered all six Barsetshire novels.
published 29 novels set in the county of Barsetshire.
While Thirkell introduced her own characters, she also incorporates members of Trollope's Barsetshire families, including the Crawelys, Luftons, Grantlys and Greshams. A writer for ''
'' (2008) suggested that "Unlike Trollope, Thirkell is uninterested in money and politics" but is instead, "interested in love". Author
''.