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An Unprotected Female at the Pyramids
Anthony Trollope's classic short work.
66 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 1860
6 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Trollope
2,321 books1,767 followersAnthony Trollope became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works, known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire; he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and conflicts of his day.
Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...
Trollope has always been a popular novelist. Noted fans have included Sir Alec Guinness (who never travelled without a Trollope novel), former British Prime Ministers Harold Macmillan and Sir John Major, economist John Kenneth Galbraith, American novelists Sue Grafton and Dominick Dunne and soap opera writer Harding Lemay. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he regained the esteem of critics by the mid-twentieth century.
See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_...
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
August 29, 2022
This is one of Trollope's lesser known stories, perhaps not quite as little known as it deserves. Words and phrases like, 'dire', 'waste of time' and 'cringeworthy' come to mind. 'Unprotected' has two meanings, a woman without a man, as Miss Dawkins, and a woman who hasn't got any protection against Miss Dawkins!
The story is of a party of people going up the Nile to see the Pyramids, only the relentlessly ballsy single traveller, and extremely annoying Miss Dawkins who attaches herself to them is slightly interesting. They all see themselves as the crown of creation, and the poor Arab 'guides' who attach themselves in large numbers to the party demanding presents of money, 'baksheesh' are drawn in the most appalling way. When an American man in the party hits two of them as hard as he can with a stick because he is fed up with their begging, it works, they disperse and he can continue with his proposal of Fanny. I can't think of that kind of violence as ever having been acceptable.
I used to love Trollope so when I saw this long short story online I thought I would give it a go. It took me a whole week to get through. If I didn't reserve 1 stars for despicable books, this would be a half star rounded up to one, but since I do, it's a 2 star.
If you think you might have a better experience than me, it's free here. Good luck.
The story is of a party of people going up the Nile to see the Pyramids, only the relentlessly ballsy single traveller, and extremely annoying Miss Dawkins who attaches herself to them is slightly interesting. They all see themselves as the crown of creation, and the poor Arab 'guides' who attach themselves in large numbers to the party demanding presents of money, 'baksheesh' are drawn in the most appalling way. When an American man in the party hits two of them as hard as he can with a stick because he is fed up with their begging, it works, they disperse and he can continue with his proposal of Fanny. I can't think of that kind of violence as ever having been acceptable.
I used to love Trollope so when I saw this long short story online I thought I would give it a go. It took me a whole week to get through. If I didn't reserve 1 stars for despicable books, this would be a half star rounded up to one, but since I do, it's a 2 star.
If you think you might have a better experience than me, it's free here. Good luck.
February 28, 2023
What an unexpected pleasure it was to read this hilarious story of a day-trip to the pyramids by a small group of tourists around 1850. The group consisted of a British family with a teenage daughter and two rowdy boys, plus two single men, one an American, one a Frenchman and a single British female who is considered to need protection as she is travelling on her own. However, it is clear that this Miss Dawkins proves to not need any protection at all as she turned out to be the most capable of them all, riding on her donkey without any trouble and climbing the Cheops pyramid without panting her lungs out as the rest of the group. However, her being considered an unprotected female it was found necessary to have her surrounded by three Egyptian tourist guides while climbing the pyramid, while the men were considered to only need two. Well, Miss Dawkins was already admiring the view from the top before the rest of the company was recuperated from the climbing ordeal.
I so enjoyed to read Trollope’s account of the Egyptian tourist guides storming as a group unto a person who was stupid enough to produce a coin in the open. Same thing still happens in the present day as I can assure you!
Having never read Anthony Trollope before, I had no idea that the man wrote with such wit. And, really, how very progressive he was for a mid 19th century writer to point out that females were quite capable to accomplish physical endeavours and have lively conversations just as well as men did.
It is clear I should be reading a Trollope novel soon. Hopefully, they are as witty as this story was.
If anybody would like to read this short story, you can find it on Project Gutenberg.
I so enjoyed to read Trollope’s account of the Egyptian tourist guides storming as a group unto a person who was stupid enough to produce a coin in the open. Same thing still happens in the present day as I can assure you!
Having never read Anthony Trollope before, I had no idea that the man wrote with such wit. And, really, how very progressive he was for a mid 19th century writer to point out that females were quite capable to accomplish physical endeavours and have lively conversations just as well as men did.
It is clear I should be reading a Trollope novel soon. Hopefully, they are as witty as this story was.
If anybody would like to read this short story, you can find it on Project Gutenberg.
May 20, 2020
I admit that I picked this up, being a bit carried away by just how much I am enjoying Trollope at the moment with "The Warden". I do enjoy short stories every now and then, especially if they are written by those masters of the Victorian and Edwardian times and this one, from its title to its premise, did promise to be a rollicking read. However, as much as I wanted to enjoy it, and even as I did enjoy a fair it is certainly not quite up to the mark.
The plot concerns Miss Dawkins, a spunky, self-assured and smooth-talking early prototype of the rebellious heroines of 20th century English literature who finds herself in the awkward company of a snobbish English family, a stiff-lipped Frenchman contemplating the idea of the Suez Canal and a dashing young American full of political idealism, all of whom are on a tour of the Pyramids in Egypt. The story is less about the Pyramids or even the local scenery even as Trollope expertly, and a touch wickedly, furnishes the requisite exotic touches with droll wit - the said monuments are reduced to a commonplace stature, the condescending travel party itself is mocked for their inability to tame all the toil of the adventure and there are always the hilarious Arab guides, beggaring for tips and alms and bothering our little motley group to the point of infuriated anger. Having been in Egypt, I can fully understand that situation.
The writer's gift for wry humour is evident throughout the story, as is his mastery of perspective but the real meat of the narrative is stretched out to an inexorable point and it could have been wrapped up in about half of the actual length. One can understand that Trollope was aiming at a miniature social satire and a light, crisp comedy of manners; the title is a pun on Miss Dawkins' social status as a woman unaccompanied by a gentleman as well as her strong sense of individuality and sexual independence which makes her a memorable creation. Pretty much every other character is well drawn too but one wonders, from the depths to which the writer goes to flesh them well, if he would have better developed it as a full-fledged novel instead.
That said, it is far from terrible or even boring. It is a lot of light, frothy fun to read and the wit remains sparkling as ever. It is a nice little story that will make you grin more frequently than you should but it is hardly anything great.
The plot concerns Miss Dawkins, a spunky, self-assured and smooth-talking early prototype of the rebellious heroines of 20th century English literature who finds herself in the awkward company of a snobbish English family, a stiff-lipped Frenchman contemplating the idea of the Suez Canal and a dashing young American full of political idealism, all of whom are on a tour of the Pyramids in Egypt. The story is less about the Pyramids or even the local scenery even as Trollope expertly, and a touch wickedly, furnishes the requisite exotic touches with droll wit - the said monuments are reduced to a commonplace stature, the condescending travel party itself is mocked for their inability to tame all the toil of the adventure and there are always the hilarious Arab guides, beggaring for tips and alms and bothering our little motley group to the point of infuriated anger. Having been in Egypt, I can fully understand that situation.
The writer's gift for wry humour is evident throughout the story, as is his mastery of perspective but the real meat of the narrative is stretched out to an inexorable point and it could have been wrapped up in about half of the actual length. One can understand that Trollope was aiming at a miniature social satire and a light, crisp comedy of manners; the title is a pun on Miss Dawkins' social status as a woman unaccompanied by a gentleman as well as her strong sense of individuality and sexual independence which makes her a memorable creation. Pretty much every other character is well drawn too but one wonders, from the depths to which the writer goes to flesh them well, if he would have better developed it as a full-fledged novel instead.
That said, it is far from terrible or even boring. It is a lot of light, frothy fun to read and the wit remains sparkling as ever. It is a nice little story that will make you grin more frequently than you should but it is hardly anything great.
October 26, 2024
This was kind of fun, and short ☺️
September 11, 2016
This is a very amusing short story. It really put me in the mood to read more things like it.
Read
September 24, 2023I don't care about the courtship but am intrigued by the discussion of how "visitors from the West" perceive Cairo.
May 16, 2013
An interesting curio, a short Trollope tale and a tale of C19th travel to Egypt. Only really of interest as a curio. It is, as you might expect, a bit sexist and a bit certain of Britain's place in the world. Some might deem it a bit racist too as the arabs aren't portrayed well but anyone who has been to Egypt will know the inexorable persistence of beggars is actually well drawn.
July 8, 2012
An entertaining book.
June 3, 2019
short, sweet
February 27, 2024
This was a funny little story. I'll definitely want to revisit this one and write down some favorite lines!
April 25, 2024
A bit of an odd story of a woman trying to get in with another family while visiting the pyramids, not one of my favourites!
August 27, 2024
Rather obvious satire; none of the characters were developed in depth.
October 17, 2013
"An Unprotected Female at the Pyramids" is a short story that starts off a little bland but improves halfway through. By the end of the tale I felt as though it could've been carried on. The potential is there to extend it.
Mrs Damer is a humourous character because of her constant complaining.
Miss Dawkins - the unprotected female - is travelling without personal companions but latches on to others that she encounters.
This is my first taste of Anthony Trollope's work and I intend to sample one of his novels in the not to distant future.
Mrs Damer is a humourous character because of her constant complaining.
Miss Dawkins - the unprotected female - is travelling without personal companions but latches on to others that she encounters.
This is my first taste of Anthony Trollope's work and I intend to sample one of his novels in the not to distant future.
September 7, 2013
This is a short story, not a novel. I was looking for something short to read while waiting in a park for an open air concert to begin. Really, I took this not too seriously as it seemed to be a little tongue in cheek. But I could be wrong. I'm not qualified to comment on literature of this vintage...
November 21, 2025
Read for class. It was more interesting than most, but still pretty boring.
April 21, 2017
Although published in 1864, Trollope's "Unprotected Female" is ahead of its time. The title humorously refers to a woman who is not married or accompanied by a male, and it mocks men who think women are much weaker than men, need protection, and special treatment, and are, in short, unable to function without the help of a male.
In this short story, Sabrina Dawkins, who is about thirty years old, happens to join a number of people who came to Egypt to see the pyramids. She is unmarried and has no male accompanying her, is smart and good looking. It is funny to read how the people she is with think she cannot do certain things because she is an unaccompanied woman. They think, for example, that she cannot climb, but she does it better than the males. They tell her that she cannot go to Sinai and Jerusalem unaccompanied.
This book also contains a biography of Trollope who was a friend of Dickens, who admired his many books and short stories. It tells how he was raised in a poor home, worked for the Post Office in England and Ireland, his joy in participating in fox hunting, a sport he includes in a couple of his books, and how his mother was also an accomplished author. He was considered the most prolific writer of his time. His most famous novel, a truly great book, is The Warden.
In this short story, Sabrina Dawkins, who is about thirty years old, happens to join a number of people who came to Egypt to see the pyramids. She is unmarried and has no male accompanying her, is smart and good looking. It is funny to read how the people she is with think she cannot do certain things because she is an unaccompanied woman. They think, for example, that she cannot climb, but she does it better than the males. They tell her that she cannot go to Sinai and Jerusalem unaccompanied.
This book also contains a biography of Trollope who was a friend of Dickens, who admired his many books and short stories. It tells how he was raised in a poor home, worked for the Post Office in England and Ireland, his joy in participating in fox hunting, a sport he includes in a couple of his books, and how his mother was also an accomplished author. He was considered the most prolific writer of his time. His most famous novel, a truly great book, is The Warden.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews