What Anthony Trollope are you reading?

[Jan]

I like your observation "seemingly 'peaceful' action masking inner turmoil."

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Good for you for recognizing you needed to persevere! The series gets more enjoyable as you read more of it. Trollope is so good with characterization and he doesn't ignore those you have already come to know.

[Marius]

Jan wrote: "I like your observation "seemingly 'peaceful' action masking inner turmoil.""

Thank you.

A Trollope character is so vivid and dynamic; a person for you to truly like or dislike. Their appearance sheds light on one subject while in their minds you can feel their disagreements and their dilemmas. Their worries, likes, quirks, and trials all, in a moment, become the reader's.

But, here and there, add in another, and another, and you have breathing, loving, human people strolling, some uncertainty, some blindly, through a plot weaved with the complex and simple threads of will, perception, right, and wrong.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

In his autobiography he says:

A novel should give a picture of common life enlivened by humour and sweetened by pathos. To make that picture worthy of attention, the canvas should be crowded with real portraits, not of individuals known to the world or to the author, but of created personages impregnated with traits of character which are known. To my thinking, the plot is but the vehicle for all this; and when you have the vehicle without the passengers, a story of mystery in which the agents never spring to life, you have but a wooden show. There must, however, be a story. You must provide a vehicle of some sort.

[Marius]

Elizabeth (Alaska) wrote: "In his autobiography he says:

A novel should give a picture of common life enlivened by humour and sweetened by pathos. To make that picture worthy of attention, the canvas should be crowded with ..."

Those are fine and true words.!

I didn't know Trollope had written an autobiography...adding that to my list. :)

[Cynthia]

I'm reading Barchester Towers, finally. I think I finished The Warden four years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. Oh well, very slow but steady.

[Marius]

Cynthia wrote: "I'm reading Barchester Towers, finally. I think I finished The Warden four years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. Oh well, very slow but steady."

Be sure to tell us what you think of it! Barchester Towers is next for me too.

[Tom]

I've only begun my Trollope journey. I'm nearly finished reading The Warden and will begin Barchester Tower immediately after. I've been wanting to get started on Trollope for a while, but like anything, the hardest part is getting started. I am glad that I have.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Tom, enjoy the journey. Hope you like this series well enough to make a lifetime of him.

[Jan]

You are on a great adventure, Tom. If you want to discuss with a group of Trollope readers, check out https://trollope.groups.io/g/main

[Tom]

Jan wrote: "You are on a great adventure, Tom. If you want to discuss with a group of Trollope readers, check out https://trollope.groups.io/g/main"

I have applied. I've started Barchester Tower and look forward to reading many more.

[Elizabeth (Alaska)]

Thanks, Jan. Yes, this group isn't especially active anymore. We didn't have a group read. When I started the group I had already read 20 or so of the novels and wasn't really up for re-reads.

[Jan]

Really nice that you started this, Elizabeth. It is always good to share thoughts on Trollope. Totally understand about re-reads. The strategy of the Trollope reading list is to provide weekly summaries to stimulate discussion. The summary is useful for those who want to discuss but not read along. I do exactly that for some of the novels.