Anthony Trollope's position as a leading British novelist is established today in a way that would seem odd to our grandparent's generation of 1900 - 1930. He seemed so quaint and old hat, having little of the fire and exuberance of Dickens, the passions of the Bronte sisters, the intellectual realism of George Eliot, or the mystical tragedy of Thomas Hardy. He got high grades for being amusing, mostly due to the novels he wrote of the cathedral city of Barchester in the county of Barset. As this comprised only seven or eight novels out of his over seventy titles, it was like a polite slap in the face.
However, after 1930, prodded in part by the book EARLY VICTORIAN NOVELISTS by Lord David Cecil, Trollope (like his Amercian contemporary, Herman Melville) began to get reassessed. His novels about the Palisser family were noted for their tireless realism in showing the political world. Novels like THE WAY WE LIVE NOW showed a subtle and perceptive social critic, who saw the greed and selfishness that pervaded his society. And he never lost his sense of ironic humor either. Today, after Dickens and the Brontes and George Eliot, Trollope would come as the leading Victorian novelist. In fact, in readability, he would be higher than Eliot.
The series THE BARCHESTER CHRONICLES dealt with two novels: THE WARDEN and BARCHESTER TOWERS. THE WARDEN deals with Reverend Septimius Harding, a kindly clergyman who has an 800 pound a year job (a very good salary for 1855 - the year the novel was written) taking care of a charity almshouse, that is supposed to be a home for about one dozen men. The charity was set up in the eighteenth century, and comes to the attention of a local reformer named John Bold, who (misguidedly) brings it to the attention of England's leading newspaper THE THUNDERER. Bold claims that the charity as handled by the church cheats the dozen men, who should be getting more of the money. THE THUNDERER leads the attack on the greedy clergy, particularly Harding. He is in a precarious position: his younger daughter Eleanor is being courted by John Bold, and his older daughter is married to Archdeacon Grantley. Harding does not like the negative publicity, and tries to get out of it, but Grantley (a bullying type) refuses to allow him. Bold tries to stop the campaign from hurting Harding, only to get a lecture from the power-hungry editor of the paper of not putting one's interests above the public. In the end Harding manages to resign. And the old men find that the promised increase in their money is non-existent, and Harding is replaced by a less sympathetic clergyman.
BARCHESTER TOWERS takes place a year later. Grantley's father, the Bishop of Barchester dies. THE THUNDERER pushes the appointment of one Rev. Mr. Proudie, who is married to a very dominating type of wife, and has a curate, Mr. Slope, who is very efficient, very devious, and very ambitious. Trollope looks into the split between "High Church" and "Low Church" when dealing with Slope's "Low Church" views (including cutting down expenses by reducing church choirs). This is opposed by the old guard of Grantley, Harding, and Dean Arabin. They call in all their various allies, including Dean Stanhope, who has been living with his family in Italy for ten years. The Proudies and Slope use every possible weapon against the old guard to push their religious reforms agenda. But Slope is looking for a wealthy wife (he wants to have power base away from Mrs. Proudie). Mary Harding had married John Bold, and had a son by him, but Bold has died, and she's a wealthy widow. Grantley can't stand the idea of Slope as a brother-in-law. Bertie Stanhope, a son of the returned Dean, is handsome, but somewhat weak. Slope presses his suit, but finds that Mrs. Proudie is critical (it is affecting his position with the Bishop). Mary has to make a choice, and notes that Slope seems just as attracted to Bertie's sister, Madame Neroni, as to her. Soon the social world of Barchester gets drawn heavily into the political and theological world in ways that are astounding.
Donald Pleasance played Septimus Harding, making the most of his quieter side - he is far from his villainous Blofeld or similar characters here, and quite effectively so. Nigel Hawthorne's Grantley is properly pompous, as Alan Rickman's Slope greasy. David Gwillim as John Bold is properly well intentioned, but chews off more than he can handle. Janet Maw is Eleanor Harding Bolt, and was adequate. Her sister Susan was Angela Pleasance (the daughter of the man playing her character's father). Susan Hampshire was Madame Neroni, the woman who tempts Slope. And Clive Swift is the Bishop who is as wife dominated as his later Richard Bucket was by Hyacinth in KEEPING UP APPEARANCES.
The series was very good, but oddly enough it was not followed up by the other novels of the complete series that Trollope wrote.
