Barchester Towers
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This book offers a brilliantly entertaining and sharply observed satire of Victorian church politics, romance, and social climbing that remains remarkably relevant today.
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Book Summary
In Anthony Trollope's satirical novel, the death of a bishop triggers a power struggle within the Church of England, pitting traditional High Church clergy against evangelical reformers. Amid clerical scheming and romantic entanglements, the gentle Mr. Harding and the ambitious Mr. Slope vie for influence, while love and integrity ultimately triumph over hypocrisy.
When old Bishop Grantly dies, his son Archdeacon Grantly expects to succeed him, but a change in government brings the liberal Dr. Proudie to power, accompanied by his domineering wife and their scheming chaplain, Mr. Slope. Slope ingratiates himself with the widow Eleanor Bold while plotting to secure the deanery for himself, but his ambitions are thwarted by Mrs. Proudie's jealousy and his own arrogance. Meanwhile, the Stanhope family returns from Italy, and the beautiful but manipulative Signora Neroni publicly humiliates Slope, ending his chances. Eleanor eventually finds love with the scholarly Mr. Arabin, who becomes dean, while Slope is driven from Barchester. The gentle Mr. Harding, who had resigned his post at Hiram's Hospital under pressure, sees his son-in-law Arabin appointed dean and the hospital given to the needy Mr. Quiverful, restoring a sense of moral order.
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Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
Mr. Slope
Slope arrives at the palace as chaplain and immediately becomes the engine of the new regime, courting Eleanor Bold and scheming for the hospital and the deanery. He hates Dr. Grantly not out of passion but because he foresaw the necessity of fighting him, and he fights with cunning when courage will not serve. His ambition is the wedge that splits Barchester into warring camps, making him the novel's most watchable villain.
Eleanor Bold
Eleanor mourns John Bold with a devotion that clings even to his faults, and pours her remaining love into their infant son. Her fortune and her beauty make her a target for suitors — most alarmingly Mr. Slope — while her father and brother-in-law argue over her future as though she were a pawn. Her quiet refusal to be managed is the moral center around which the novel's courtships turn.
Mr. Arabin
Arabin is the new vicar of St. Ewold's, a bookish man whom the archdeacon enlists in the fight against Slope. His apparent gaiety during Eleanor's troubles irritates her family, who suspect him of indifference or worse, while he quietly doubts that she cares for Slope at all. His clear-eyed counsel and his own unspoken feelings make him the hinge on which the novel's romantic and ecclesiastical plots both swing.
Mr. Harding
Harding has lost Hiram's Hospital and now finds himself proposed for the deanery by friends who plot his future without consulting him. He is shuffled between Plumstead and Barchester, his mild protests drowned out by the archdeacon's triumph and his daughter's urgency. His humility and his refusal to scheme make him the moral touchstone against which the ambitions of Slope and Mrs. Proudie are measured.
Dr. Proudie
Proudie is nominally the head of the diocese, but his wife manages his household and Slope manages his business, leaving him to murmur 'hum, ha' while others decide. He is not a bad man, only a weak one, and his weakness is the vacuum into which Mrs. Proudie and Slope both pour their ambitions. His passivity shapes the entire struggle, since whoever controls the bishop effectively controls Barchester.
Mrs. Proudie
Mrs. Proudie presides over the palace with the confidence of a woman who knows she is the real bishop, dispensing patronage and snubbing the Signora Neroni with equal relish. She and Slope begin as allies and end as rivals, and their contest over Hiram's Hospital becomes the test of who truly rules Barchester. Her triumph is complete and her methods are merciless, making her the most formidable force in the novel's social world.
Ecclesiastical Power and Politics
The book centers on the struggle for control within the Church of England, focusing on the appointment of the new bishop, the battle between High Church and Low Church factions, and the machinations of characters like Archdeacon Grantly, Mr. Slope, and Mrs. Proudie to gain influence over the diocese.
Social Class and Snobbery
Class distinctions are sharply drawn, from the genealogical pride of Mr. Thorne to the social climbing of Mrs. Lookaloft, and the disdain of the established clergy for the 'lowbred' Mr. Slope, highlighting how birth, wealth, and manners dictate social standing in Barchester.
Hypocrisy and Moral Ambiguity
Many characters, especially Mr. Slope and Mrs. Proudie, display a gap between their pious rhetoric and their selfish, manipulative actions, while even the 'good' characters like Mr. Harding are caught in webs of compromise and self-doubt.
Tradition vs. Reform
The conflict between old, established church practices (represented by Archdeacon Grantly and the cathedral clergy) and new, evangelical reforms (championed by Mr. Slope and Mrs. Proudie) drives much of the plot, including debates over Sunday schools, music, and ceremonial observances.
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