Barchester Towers

Description

Part of the Barsetshire series, this is one of Trollope's most vivid and comic novels After the death of old Dr Grantly, a bitter struggle begins over who will succeed him as Bishop of Barchester. And when the decision is finally made to appoint the evangelical Dr Proudie, rather than the son of the old bishop, Archdeacon Grantly, resentment and suspicion threaten to cause deep divisions within the diocese. Trollope's masterly depiction of the plotting and back-stabbing that ensues lies at the heart of one of the most vivid and comic of his Barsetshire novels, peopled by such very different figures as the saintly Warden of Hiram's Hospital, Septimus Harding, the ineffectual but well-meaning new bishop and his terrifying wife, and the oily chaplain Mr Slope who has designs on Mr Harding's daughter.

Anthony Trollope (1815 - 82) published over forty novels and numerous short stories. His most famous series were the Barsetshire novels and the Palliser novels, written towards the end of his life. Robin Gilmour is a Reader in English at the University of Aberdeen, and author of three books on the Victorian novel.