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The Warden (Chronicles of Barsetshire, #1)

by Anthony Trollope

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read in January 2017

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Sondra said: " Anthony Trollope is often compared by critics to another British author of his generation, the novelist Charles Dickens. Having read both "Barchester Towers" and "The Warden", I find the comparison to Dickens much more apt with regard to "The Warden" Anthony Trollope is often compared by critics to another British author of his generation, the novelist Charles Dickens. Having read both "Barchester Towers" and "The Warden", I find the comparison to Dickens much more apt with regard to "The Warden" than to "Barchester Towers". The dark, brooding atmosphere of "The Warden" is much more reminiscent of a Dickens novels such as"A Tale of Two Cities" or "Bleak House" than the bright witty dialogue, the clever conniving characters, and the rural affluence in "Barchester Towers". This is not a value judgement. Both novels are equally brilliant, in my opinion, although if pushed to do so, I would give a slight edge to "The Warden" in terms of plot complexity, depth of character (at least for the two or three main characters) and descriptive writing. The almshouse, the decrepit old men, the contrast between the wealth of the church and the poverty of some of its followers, the saintliness of the novel's "hero" Mr. Harding, and the obsessiveness of the young man who tries to bring him down, all contribute to the "Dickensian" atmosphere of "The Warden".

One of my favorite scenes in "The Warden" is the scene in which Mr. Harding travels to London for an audience with the archdeacon and is given an appointment to see the latter at 11:oo p.m. Harding arises early on the morning of the scheduled appointment, which puts him in the uncomfortable position of having to kill more than sixteen hours with nothing to do in a strange city before the scheduled appointment with the archdeacon. Harding wanders around the city, spending time alone in a theatre, visiting museums, eating lonely meals in chophouses and tearooms, all the while worrying about the upcoming meeting, which could decide his fate, with the archdeacon. The universality of this scene is riveting, for who among us has never found him or herself in a similar position of having to wait many hours in a state of anxiety for some long-awaited event?

Perhaps it is this talent for depicting the human condition in a way that resonates with readers over multiple centuries that makes Trollope such an exceptional author. ...more "

Jan 26, 2017 12:12PM · see review

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“It is only in appearance that time is a river. It is rather a vast landscape and it is the eye of the beholder that moves.”
― Thornton Wilder, The Eighth Day

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