Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an author. Most of Trollope's works were published in the Victorian era, most notably his Chronicles of Barsetshire series.
Life[]
Born in London in April of 1815, Trollope was the son of a barrister named Thomas and the author Frances Milton Trollope (a somewhat famous author in her day - writing one of the first anti-slavery novels, Jonathan Jefferson Whitlaw). Anthony's father had failed numerous times in his own aspirations (including at the Bar due to a bad temper). Anthony's older brother Thomas Adolphus also became an author.
During Anthony's childhood, he attended private schools. He was unable to find friends in these schools and was relentlessly bullied. When Anthony was twelve, his mother moved to the Nashoba Commune (a refuge for escaped slaves established by abolitionist Fanny Wright) in Tennessee. During this time, Anthony stayed in England. Once Frances returned to England, she established herself as an author while her husband slipped into debt. After Thomas fled for Belgium to escape arrest, his family followed him.
While in Belgium, Anthony learned German and French to join an Austrian cavalry regiment by becoming an usher to a school. While at the school, Anthony took a job within the General Post Office of England. Shortly after Anthony returned to London, his father died. Anthony's service within the Post Office was characterized by insubordinate and unpunctual behaviour and Trollope hated the job. To escape the job, Anthony took a post in central Ireland that was left open after a postal surveyor clerk was reported incompetent. Though Anthony had a bad reference from London, his superior decided to judge Anthony on the merit of his work - something that payed off. Anthony set up in the town of Banagher in King's County (now County Offaly) and began inspecting the Connacht region.
While surveying Ireland, Anthony frequently interacted with the Irish people - whom he found to be very courteous and pleasant. He also met the daughter of a Rotherham bank manager and started a relationship. Though they planned to get married almost immediately, Anthony's debts delayed this for several years. Shortly after the two got married, Anthony was transferred to a postal district in the south of Ireland and moved to the town of Clonmel with his family. His first two sons were born around two years after the marriage.
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Writing style[]
In his autobiography, Trollope claims that he does not seek inspiration for his writing stating that, like a cobbler, he simply makes his product instead of seeking inspiration before doing so.
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Notable works[]
- Orley Farm - one of Trollope's favorites of his own works. Favoured by George Orwell due to its "realistic" depiction of a lawsuit.
- The Way We Live Now - a satirical novel
Chronicles of Barsetshire[]
- The Warden - a novel about a member of the clergy named Mr. Harding
- Barchester Towers - a novel about the fallout of the Bishop of Barchester's death
- Doctor Thorne - a novel about a man seeking to marry a poor woman
- Framley Parsonage - a novel about the political service of Mark Robarts
- The Small House at Allington - a novel about a woman being jilted at the altar
- The Last Chronicle of Barset - a novel about a family being affected by scandal
Palliser[]
- Can You Forgive Her? - a novel on marriage
- Phineas Finn - a novel about the titular Irish immigrant
- The Eustace Diamonds - a novel about a widow and her new necklace
- Phineas Redux - a direct sequel to Phineas Finn
- The Prime Minister - a novel about a "morally scrupulous" prime minister
- The Duke's Children - a sequel to The Prime Minister
Ireland[]
- The Macdermots of Ballycloran - Anthony's debut novel
- The Kellys and the O'Kellys - a novel about the landed gentry
- Castle Richmond - a novel about the Irish Famine
- An Eye for an Eye - a novel about a Hussar officer visiting Ireland
- The Landleaguers - an unfinished work
Sources[]
- Wikipedia