Book description
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.
