There was a time when I devoured many, many Trollope novels, I loved them. The famous Barchester chronicles are maybe his best known, understandably so for they are brilliant. The Warden is the first of those chronicles, and a novel I had remembered well. I am pleased to say therefore I still love it as much after this re-read. I gobbled it up in no time, as it is probably the shortest of Trollope’s novels, many of them actually being quite thick.Septimus Harding, the warden of the title is a kind hearted old clergyman. For ten years, as the story begins, this good old Anglican priest has been the warden attached to an alms-house the Barchester hospital, which was set up under the terms of a will in the fifteenth century to provide comfort and shelter for twelve old single working men who without such charity would starve. The old men are thus well provided for, being well fed and comfortably sheltered, and having in addition 1 shilling and fourpence a day for all other wants they might have. In four centuries the value of this bequest has risen considerably – and so the stipend of the warden is now considerably more than it would have been originally. John Bold, a young friend of Mr Harding’s and suitor for his youngest daughter’s hand in marriage, fancies himself something of a reformer, and takes it upon himself to exposing what he sees as an abuse of privilege. The old men are now in receipt of an extra twopence a day – a gift from Mr Harding out of his own money, that he is not obliged to provide them with, however the reformers talk has unsettled them and some of the old men begin to believe they will soon be each able to claim £100 a year (a considerable sum in the 1850’s). Having been previously very well satisfied with their lot, as well as extremely fond of Mr Harding who has become a dear and true friend to the old men, there are now dissenting voices quick to believe that the warden is receiving money he should not. A couple of the old men are loyal to Mr Harding and refuse to believe him to in way wrong, but they are shouted down by their friends – who persist in believing in the miracle of £100 a year. The warden has two daughters, his eldest daughter is married to the archdeacon, Dr Grantly a rather terrifying figure - who is always certain he is right and a little given to bullying his father in law who is a quiet gentle man and really not up to battling his fierce son in law. Dr Grantly is naturally on the side of his father-in-law as the law suit gets underway. His opinion in non-negotiable - the idea that the warden’s stipend is unjust or illegal is ridiculous to him, even the possibility that the case should go against them Dr Grantly believes will damage the church of England forever. The warden’s closest friend the bishop is Dr Grantly’s father – and even he is rather bullied by Dr Grantly, though he at least has some understanding of Mr Harding’s pain. For Mr Harding is unsure, now that the question has been raised poor Mr Harding doesn’t know if his position is right or not. The doubt is enough to drive the poor man to absolute misery. He is a good and honest man, rather bad at managing his money and very bullied by his son in law, he has always been a popular friend to all, so now he feels he can’t just carry on in the face of criticism – he begins to feel that maybe the wardenship is unjust. “Mr Harding was a sadder man than he had ever yet been when he returned to his own house. He had been wretched enough on that well-remembered morning when he was forced to expose before his son-in-law the publisher’s account for ushering into the world his dear book of sacred music; when after making such payments as he could do unassisted he found that he was a debtor of more than three hundred pounds; but his sufferings then were as nothing to his present misery; - then he had done wrong, and he knew it, and was able to resolve that he would not sin in like manner again; but now he could make no resolution, and comfort himself by no promises of firmness. He had been forced to think that his lot had placed himself in a false position, and he was about to maintain that position against the opinion of the world and against his own convictions.”What I love about the ‘The Warden’, aside from the lovely old warden himself – who is just such an endearingly lovable character – is Trollope’s use of irony. The reformers who say they want to improve the lot of the old bedesmen of the Barchester hospital – can’t foresee what will happen to the hospital or to the old men concerned – but the reader fears straight away for their future. Their lives so comfortable at the start – an honest old friend and clergyman who cares dutifully and faithfully for them, a little money in their pockets, a good roof above their heads and food in their stomachs – how will they fair when lawyers, journalists and senior churchman start wrangling? “Did you ever know a poor man made better by law or a lawyer!' said Bunce bitterly.” There is always a little romance in an Anthony Trollope novel, and here of course we have the story of Eleanor Harding and her love for John Bold, the man who really sets the cat among the pigeons. Trollope was concerned with the motivations of people, and of social morality – something many Victorian novelists concerned themselves with – and he uses the quite political story of the warden to do so. The Warden brilliantly presents both sides of the matter – therefore the reader, like Mr Harding himself is unsure of the rightness of the case, there is sympathy for both Mr Harding a truly innocent man, but also sympathy for the old men, and the intentions of that fifteenth century man John Hiram who left his money to do good.
The Warden is the first book in the Chronicles of Barsetshire that is regarded as Anthony Trollope's finest work. This book was first published in 1855 and is set in the fictitious province of Barsetshire and is a story of a clergyman in cathedral town of Barchester. Book CoverAs goes for all the classics, the cover is beautiful. So, no complaints here.PlotThe story is of Septimus Harding, a clergymen who is living a peaceful and happy life as a Warden of Hiram's Hospital and as the precentor of Barchester Cathedral. He has two daughters - Susan who is married to bishop's son Dr. Grantly and Eleanor who is single but in love with a young reformist, John Bold. Hiram's Hospital is supported by charity and this income maintains this almhouse and supports its twelve bedesmen(in this book old men who could no longer support themselves and are ill). Mr. Warden performs his duty well and takes care of these men. He treats them as his friends and often meets them every evening. The happy state of affair is disturbed when John Bold starts questioning the legacy and how the money is being used for the welfare of hospital's bedesmen. He exposes the big disproportion in Mr. Harding's fat stipend and the money received by the twelve bedesmen. Soon, this news becomes talk of the town and Mr. Harding who has not done any thing wrong in his life becomes a villain who lives a luxurious life with the money that is meant to help the poor bedesman.CharactersTrollope has created characters that are memorable and these characters will remain with you for one reason or the other for a long time. The characters are so real for they have weakness, flaws and dilemmas that one will come across in real life. Mr. Harding or the Warden is quiet and loves music. He has done no wrongs in his life but finds himself in centre of a controversy so bad that it threatens to bring disgrace to his name and I could not help but feel sorry for poor Mr. Harding. He performed his role of Warden well and did not by any means try to misuse the charity income. Though he did not question the fat stipend he was getting. But, who does that? There was one time when I got annoyed with him.I am a very practical person and I make decisions based on what my mind says is correct rather than what my heart does. So, I got really irritated with the Warden for his decision taken on a whim. The step that he wants to take may appear correct to his conscience but which I, like other characters in this book, found irrational. But, later in the book, I did agree with him.Dr. Grantly may appear a villain to most but at times I did agree with him but I did find his methods too drastic and his speech pungent. John Bold, well, had he not been there, Mr. Harding and the twelve bedesmen would have led a peaceful life. But, when he tries to set things right, its too late and the matter is out of his hands.What I likeI enjoyed this book to a great deal though I was apprehensive in the beginning as I had no idea of the church and its dealings in England in the Victorian Times. When I started reading it, I feared I might not understand it at all. But, I was absorbed in this book pretty soon. The story keeps its readers entertained. As, I said before, the characters in this book are memorable and one can feel for them and can connect with them. This was my first book from Trollope and I liked his writing style though some may find it slow. What I liked about his writing is that sometimes he starts talking directly to his readers. He will ask you questions or will give you details while addressing you directly. I personally like this but I know people who find this a turn off.The other thing that stands out in this book and something which I have never seen in a book before, is that there is a chapter towards the end of the book where the author tells its reader that the bad guy in this book is not as bad as he appears. The author puts forward the positive traits of the 'supposed' villain giving justification that he indeed is a good guy but unfortunately what comes across of him in this story appears to be bad. This was rather a unique style of Trollope and it put a smile on my face. What I did not likeFor most part I enjoyed the book but there were two parts in one of which he talks about the power of press and in the other about his day spent in London that I found rather monotonous. A lot of pages were devoted to these and I felt it was not required to talk about them in so much detail. But, one can neglect this as the book otherwise is great.My final thoughts on the bookThe book is a must read for all the book lovers and especially the ones who love classics. A delightful read and I plan to read other books in this series for sure. Do pick it up if you come across this book.For this and my other book reviews, please visit www.book-choose.com
What do You think about The Warden (1998)?
While The Eustace Diamonds reminded me of Wilkie Collins (at least the only Collins I've read, The Moonstone) in its detailed canvas of broad action propelled by a mystery of sorts (though, granted, The Moonstone is an actual mystery, while The Eustace Diamonds only dabbles in it); The Warden reminded me of something more complicated and hybrid, namely Balzac crossed with Dickens with the probing analytically realistic eye of Dreiser. Trollope actually takes the opportunity to criticize Dickens at one point in the book, calling him Mr. Popular Sentiment, and in this parodic criticism (along with a parodic criticism of Carlyle as Dr. Pessimist Anticant) sets himself up in between as an unpitying objective realist, which in my mind makes him a precursor of Dreiser. Now I'm a big fan of both Balzac and Dickens, but after just two books Trollope has trumped. His characters are more real than Dickens and his personality doesn't intrude on the proceedings as does Balzac's larger-than-life persona. As much as possible Trollope simply lets things happen, based no doubt on detailed observations of contemporay society's machinations, and reports on the consequences. So there's a selflessness that appeals to me, but there's also an exuberance that borders on the remarkable given the rather dry nature of his subject matter. Trollope clearly delighted in the way things work, and this delight infuses every smooth-flowing sentence of his narrative as it ripples along magnifying life's universally inevitable social realities; often sad, sometimes joyous, always right on.
—Eddie Watkins
First, let me say this surprised me. I guess I don't know what I was expecting, but a novel where the church/clergy was the defendant in a lawsuit wouldn't have appeared on a list. "The Queen on behalf of the Wool-carders of Barchester v. Trustees under the will of the late John Hiram" was instituted, The Warden being the primary Trustee so named.Now, would you also expect humor? At least that was on the list. In a discussion where the bishop learns of the possible suit is: The bishop did not whistle: we believe that they lose the power of doing so on being consecrated; ... Trollope was a contemporary of Dickens, and lampooning the establishment was much in vogue.Trollope is not quite as good as Dickens, however. (Was anyone?) His novels are not quite as multi-layered and, while his characterizations are quite good, just not quite as good. In Trollope, we also spend less time with the poor and working class, and more time with the affluent and educated.The Warden is the first in of Trollope's 6-volume Barsetshire Chronicles. It is my understanding that each of these can be read as a stand alone.
—Elizabeth (Alaska)
Slightly uneven. The novel launches into a very long digression parodying Carlyle and Dickens that completely disrupts the course of the action. And there isn't much in the way of characterization. People are drawn in pretty broad strokes and only ever appear in one guise. (The novelist even feels compelled to apologize that one character, the archdeacon, is portrayed in a way that only shows his faults, even though he has various virtues.) However, the basic premise, the attempt of one man to rectify ancient abuses in the name of justice and the reaction of another, to live according to his conscience, and how these two sets of noble motives combine to create very deleterious consequences, is so cleverly handled that the book is both a pleasure and a lesson in morality, despite its weaknesses.
—Simon
