Trollope's The Warden timelessly, satirically mocks Victorian society with a particular lens for the socio-political power struggles of the day. He writes about the warden (a clerical position) of a charitable hospital in small-town, 19th century England. The peaceable, gentle warden Mr.Harding is hit by the waves of the era's reforming spirit when a well-meaning surgeon, John Bold, questions the disparity between Mr. Harding's income and that of the hospital's, files a lawsuit against him, and employs the press as a means of destruction. While Trollope clearly sides with the warden, he does so in a manner that also criticizes the authority and political prowess of the church. As a battle unfolds between the church and the young reforming spirits-- a battle which the warden absolutely hates to be in-- we can see the faultiness, naivety, greed, and pride of both sides.
In particular, though, Trollope's main criticism is on the insensitive and destructive actions of "do-gooders" of his day, as personified by John Bold. In Trollope's eyes, they can blindly wield the sword of "justice" without seeing all of the injury and misery they cause. Quoting John Bold, "'If we are to act on that principle, the weak are never to be protected, injustice is never to be opposed, and no one is to struggle for the poor!' And Bold began to comfort himself in the warmth of his own virtue." While Trollope was not wholly supportive of the old order, he was more against the excessive and overzealous spirit of reform.
On the other hand, the Warden employs Victorian themes such as leading heroines whose beauty goes beyond physical features. Trollope unfolds the deep personalities of his female characters. In particular, he emphasizes the independence, pride, and wit of the Warden's 24-year-old daughter Eleanor. While this was not uncommon in Victorian novels, Trollope uses Eleanor as a means of ridiculing the social niceties of the day.
What's amazing about Trollope's writings is their ability to artfully suck us up into the present-- our politics and power struggles, in particular. While not so dramatic and romantic as some of his contemporaries, Trollope's style and subject matter is timeless. As a critic in The New Yorker stated in his article "Why Anthony Trollope is Trending", "Politics and gossip are still the essential life of the world, as every moment on Reddit reveals, and any writer who can turn them into art will survive." While American society in 2018 may not regularly face power abuses by clergy or have newspapers as their primary media source, we can still relate to the social and political struggles that Trollope mocks in Victorian society. Particularly, we can use more judgement before hopping onto the reforming bandwagon and use good sense in considering what would actually improve social justice. From the standpoint of a 2018 young adult, The Warden's biting honesty and humorous personalities hit close to home. I can't wait to explore Trollope's other works as I seek to understand the constant polar politics in my own social web.
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| Illustration of Trollope by Mr.Bingo |
Reference quote and image credit: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/trollope-trending
