The Warden [Paperback]

Anthony Trollope (Author), Edward Ardizzone (Illustrator), David Skilton (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 23, 1998

The book centers on the character of Mr. Harding, a clergyman of great personal integrity, whose charitable income far exceeds the purpose for which it was intended. Young John Bold turns his reforming zeal to exposing what he considers to be an abuse of privilege, despite being in love with Mr. Harding's daughter Eleanor. The novel was highly topical as a case regarding the misapplication of church funds was the scandalous subject of contemporary debate. But Trollope uses this specific case to explore and illuminate the universal complexities of human motivation and social morality. This edition includes an introduction and notes by David Skilton and illustrations by Edward Ardizzone.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Attractive edition. Ardizzone drawings a plus! Low price much appreciated."--Dale Nelson, Mayville State University

"Attractive and reasonably priced. The concluding notes and who's who are quite useful."--Thomas W. Zelman, College of St. Scholastica

About the Author

Anthony Trollope (1815-82) became one of the most successful, prolific and respected English novelists of the Victorian era. Some of Trollope's best-loved works revolve around the imaginary county of Barsetshire, but he also wrote penetrating novels on political, social, and gender issues and conflicts of his day.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192834088
• ISBN-13: 978-0192834089
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What Should A Virtuous Man Do?, December 19, 2002

By 

Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm" (California United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Warden (Paperback)

This is a simple, short novel dealing with the ethical dilemma of a virtuous man. The Reverend Harding is the warden of a small home providing quarters for 12 retired, indigent workers. The facility is provided for by a trust set up by its founder over two hundred years ago. Income off the land provides revenue for the maintenance of the home and a living for the warden.. The warden has traditionally been the benefactor of this income which has increased over the years. The Rev. Harding is a gentle, honest man who has never given thought to his 800 pound annual revenue until a young reformer files suit, claiming the intent of the will is being violated. Harding thinks about the matter and is inclined to resign. The Bishop and Archdeacon argue that he is entitled to the income.

This book certainly would be a good one for a book club read and discussion. The reformer, the lawyers, the church hierarchy and Reverend Harding all have their views on the matter. Author Trollope does not really pass final judgment on his characters; none of them are cast in black and white terms. In fact Trollope makes the unusual move of bringing a criticism of both the press and Charles Dickens into the novel. The press makes strident value judgments about issues without bothering itself with all the facts or considering the effect their articles will have on the people involved; Charles Dickens treats people as being all good or all bad. Indeed, I found myself arguing with myself for several days after reading The Warden. What should the Rev. Harding done? Was the issue shrouded in shades of gray, or was it clear cut one way or the other?

Many critics consider this to be one of Trollope's lesser works, yet to me it is a very interesting, valuable presentation of an ethical dilemma. And for readers who are reluctant to pick up Victorian novels because of their common 700+ page lengths, this is a little gem at less than 300 pages. Criticism? Well I did a bit of eye-rolling during some of the melodramatic passages. All and all, though, this is an excellent read. From an historical standpoint there was considerable attention being paid to clergy income during this period in England. Trollope's tale was very timely in this regard.

One final note. There are many outstanding Victorian novels that I would give a five star rating to. This book doesn't quite fit into that hall of fame so I have given it just 4 stars, which shouldn't be interpreted as a slight to Mr. Trollope or The Warden.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to Trollope, March 17, 2004

By 

"edmund_ting" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Warden (Paperback)

I read "Barchester Towers" which is the sequel to this some years ago, and I must confess that whilst I liked it I found it very padded out in the second half. "The Warden" is a shorter and in my opinion a superior book. It is the first of the Barchester series and it makes an excellent introduction to Trollope's work. It tells of a dispute that arises between the Church of England and reformers over the rights of the warden of a hospital to the excess proceeds of the land which funds the hospital. In modern terms the hospital is a kind of retirement home for poor workers. The reformers led by John Bold believe the excess funds should go to the hospital residents. The church hierarchy led by Dr Grantly, the archdeacon of Barchester defend the rights of the church, but are content with legal technicalities. This turns into a great public scandal, and the warden Mr Harding suffers a moral dilemma over whether he really is entitled to the money. Trollope looks at both sides of the dispute dispassionately. His sympathies are with the warden who is shown to be the only person who really cares about the wellbeing of the hospital residents. Things are complicated by the fact that Dr Grantly is married to one of Mr Harding's daughters and John Bold is in love with the other. For those such as myself who are more familiar with the works of Charles Dickens it is interesting to see 19th century England from a different (more conservative) perspective. The novel also includes a satire of Dickens via a character called Mr Popular Sentiment.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "He was not so anxious to prove himself right, as to be so.", February 5, 2008

By 

Mary Whipple (New England) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Warden (Paperback)

For many years, the kindly and unambitious Rev. Septimus Harding has been warden of Hiram's Hospital, a residence for poor men who have nowhere else to go, a place where they may live comfortably, get a small stipend from the estate of Mr. Hiram, and live out their lives in peace. The warden of Hiram's Hospital has also been living at peace, until John Bold, a young reformer, questions why Mr. Harding, as warden, gets eight hundred pounds a year for accepting the title of warden, which does not require him to do much else. The bedesmen living in the hospital get only shillings, and Bold wonders whether the real intentions of Hiram's bequest to establish the hospital, more than four hundred years ago, are being honored in the present.

In this first of the Barsetshire Chronicles, published in 1855, Trollope establishes the gently satiric tone and mood which pervade the series. Here he focuses on the church, its clergymen, and their roles in society, showing Rev. Harding to be a man of honor and trust (though a bit too comfortable and unimaginative to ask the hard questions) and contrasting him with Archdeacon Grantly, his son-in-law, who enjoys the power and perks of his position and feels that the world owes him whatever what he can get from it. The stultifying church hierarchy sees its role as almost royal, above the fray and dedicated to sustaining itself.

The conflict which arises when John Bold and Tom Towers, an arrogant newspaperman, become allies in the investigation of the warden's position becomes even stronger when some of the bedesmen are encouraged to demand one hundred pounds a year. Rev. Harding becomes the humiliated subject of editorials, pamphlets, and even a novel showing the "abuses" of his power. Dr. Pessimist Anticant, the pamphleteer, is thought to be a parody of Thomas Carlyle, and the novelist, Mr. Popular Sentiment, is thought to be Charles Dickens. The fact that John Bold, who started it all, is in love with the warden's daughter creates further complications.

Trollope is a delightful writer whose style is to entertain the reader while raising some thoughtful questions. Though he takes his writing seriously and creates memorable characters behaving, as a rule, like real people, he does not take himself seriously, nor does he feel the need to be a social reformer. His humor and amiability give a freshness to novels like this one, which, despite its age, is amusing and perceptive. His later novels, like The Way We Live Now, are far more complex--but just as much fun. n Mary Whipple

Barchester Towers
Doctor Thorne (Barsetshire Novels)
Framley Parsonage