It is at once avant-garde and weirdly old-fashioned. Like the work of Anthony Trollope himself, its ostensible subject, it is both comfortable and unnerving. It is handsomely produced, well illustrated, and full of good bits and pieces, and will no doubt delight many of Trollope's many admirers. But it will at least intermittently infuriate others. ... The compulsive magic of Trollope remains as difficult to define as ever. It can be evoked, but it cannot be analysed. Serious critics have tended to neglect him, but that has not quelled the intense emotional response here manifested. ... Moody says she took to Trollope for comfort when her father died. We must not read for comfort only, but, as Moody quotes, "It is well to have as many holds on happiness as possible". She is right. -- Margaret Drabble in the [London] Sunday Times, January 30, 2000
Product Description
This book takes up two topics. The first is the British novelist Anthony Trollope (1815-1882), author of 47 novels and five volumes of short stories. The second is the Internet, specifically the creation of virtual communities through email and discussion lists, focusing, naturally enough, on discussion of the works of Trollope.
The first chapter tells how the group began and focuses on the conversation that ensued on Trollopes first novel: The Macdermots of Ballycloran. The second chapter widens the discussion to take in all of Trollope's Irish novels. The third records the conversation of the group on Trollope's novel of jealousy: He Knew He Was Right. The fourth chapter discusses Trollope's shorter novels. The fifth returns to the group conversations; this time the discussion of The Claverings. The sixth chapter discusses the illustrations of Trollope's novels. The seventh chapter records the group conversation on Trollope's most class-ridden novel, Lady Anna. The eighth chapter discusses trollope's life, through his An Autobiography. The last chapter sets the group conversation on Can You Forgive Her? into the context of the Palliser (or Parliamentary) novel sequence.
The Preface is by John Letts, Chairman of the (British) Trollope Society. The book contains twenty-four illustrations from the original editions of Trollope's novels.
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