Exploring Anthony Trollope discussion

This is the first novel in Trollope's popular series known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. The novel (Trollope's fourth) was first published in 1855 and was reportedly inspired by a walk around Salisbury cathedral.

The Warden tells the tale of Mr. Septimus Harding, the elderly warden of Hiram's Hospital and precentor of Barchester Cathedral. Hiram's Hospital is an alms house supported by the income from a medieval charitable bequest to the Diocese of Barchester. The income maintains the alms house itself, supports its twelve bedesmen, and, in addition, provides a comfortable abode and living for its warden. Mr. Harding has been appointed to this position through the patronage of his old friend the Bishop of Barchester, who is also the father of Archdeacon Grantly to whom Harding's older daughter, Susan, is married. The warden, who lives with his remaining child, an unmarried younger daughter, Eleanor, performs his duties conscientiously.

In addition to being The Warden, Mr. Harding is a precentor. His music is very important to him, and while I think Trollope lets us know enough to understand the position, perhaps this article is of interest.

I love the way that Mr Harding is portrayed as playing an imaginary cello during moments of great emotion. Being a music lover I can really appreciate this.

My reviews don't contain spoilers, although this one reveals something of the first few pages.

I am amused at my thoughts on this, where I say that Trollope isn't as good as Dickens, that his characterizations aren't quite as good. I can assure you that I say exactly the opposite in another review.

I agree that Trollope wasn't as good at characterisation as Dickens, but his strengths lay in other areas. At his best, I believe Trollope even excels Dickens in some aspects. I believe that Trollope had a more thorough understanding in politics, which shows in his Palliser novels. However, the quality of his (Trollope's) output was more varied. Trollope was dead set against Dicken's sentimentality.

He even satirised Dickens in one of his earlier novels where he protrayed Dickens as Mr Popular Sentiment.

Dickens' sentimentality can be maudlin sometimes by today's standard. I believe it was Oscar Wilde that said something like "I defy anybody to read about Little Nell's death with a straight face".
You would certainly not get anything like that in Trollope.

I think many of Dickens characters - even some of the major ones - are two-dimensional. Both are very good at caricatures, but I come to think Trollope's people are more real, more believable.

You are reading his earlier novels and I have been with his later ones, so that could easily account for our different view at this point in time. Next year I will be reading some of his earlier novels and will undoubtedly see his lack of development.