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Lecture by Uffaq Zahra
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Barchester Towers
Novel by Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was an English Novelist who wrote 47 novels and a number of other
books.
His mother Frances Trollope was also a writer. Trollope became an official of the post office and lived
in Ireland from 1841 to 1859; he left his Post Office job in 1867.
Trollope is well known for his series of novels set in the imaginary county of Barcetshire. Barsetshire
is imagined as a county in southwest England. The county town is Barchester.
Trollope also wrote a series of political novels. Trollope was an industrious and disciplined writer
who wrote short stories, travel books and biographies as well as novels.
• The Barchester Chronicles (1857)
• Doctor Thorne (1858)
• Framley Parsonage (1861)
• The Small House at Allington (1864)
• The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867)
• Phineas Finn (1869)
• The Eustace Diamonds (1873)
• Phineas Redux (1876)
• The Prime Minister (1876)
• The Duke's Children (1880)

Set in Barchester, a cathedral town(a city that has a cathedral) in the west of England, the novel
opens with the political appointment of Dr. Proudie as the new bishop(A bishop is an ordained or
appointed member in a religious institution, who is generally entrusted with a position of authority
and oversight. The title is most often used in Christian Churches) of Barchester.
The major theme of Barchester Towers is the ongoing struggle between the conservative and liberal
factions of the Church of England. The conservative, or high-church, faction seeks to preserve the
ceremonies and traditions of the older church, usually involving great elaborate musical and spiritual
exercises.
Genre: Cathedral Novel, Domestic fiction
THEMES
• Religious tradition
• Romance and marriage
• Politics and the human experience
• Church Doctrine and Reform
• Gossip
• Husbands and Wives

Characters of the Novel:

Eleanor Bold

The wealthy widow of John Bold is the object of affection by three different men: Mr. Slope, Bertie
Stanhope and Mr. Arabin. Slope would appear to have the inside track. But perhaps appearances are
deceiving.

Dr. Thomas Proudie

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The appointment of Dr. Proudie to the position of bishop of Barsetshire essentially is the catalyst for
everything that happens afterward. Ironically, he is himself very meek and dominated by his wife
who works in tandem with Rev. Slope to manipulate his position in battle over liberalizing the
church.

Mrs. Proudie

A stout defender and aggressive champion of the evangelical and Low Church movement. She
manipulates her husband into taking advantage of his position to award patronage to like-minded
believers. The primary conflict of the novel arises over her opposition by the established Barchester
church community.

Bishop Grantly

It is the death of the long-serving and much-loved old Bishop of Barchester at the beginning of the
novel that prompts the appointment of Proudie.

Rev. Obadiah Slope

The chaplain who is in league with Mrs. Proudie until his pursuit of Eleanor Bold urges him to take
the side of Mr. Harding. At this point, the Bishop’s wife turns on him.

Rev. Septimus Harding

In addition to being a minister, he is also the warden of Hiram’s Hospital almshouse. Highly
principled and trusted, he falls under suspicion of tinkering with incoming charity donations. His
principles reign high when he becomes convinced that more funds are arriving then his morality will
let stand and so he resigns. In the larger scale of thing, Harding is merely a pawn in the game of
chess playing out between the old guard and the evangelicals.

Ethelbert "Bertie" Stanhope

Good looking, aesthetic wooer of Eleanor Bold. His attempts to woo Eleanor is mostly in pursuit of
her wealth as he is also an idler content to sponge off the fortunes of the more fortunate.

Francis Arabin

Scholarly clergyman brought in by Archdeacon Grantly as a comrade in his battle against Bishop
Proudie and Mr. Slope. Ultimately marries Eleanor Harding Bold and becomes Dean of Barchester

La Signora Madeline Vesey Neroni

Though crippled and bedridden (sofa-ridden to be more precise), the dark, striking beauty of
Madeline makes her a magnet for men. Almost something of a black widow, she spins a web to
entrap Rev. Slope and thus initiates his exit from Barchester back to London in humiliation.

Plot Summary
The main plot of Barchester Towers concerns the controversy about who will be the new Warden(A
warden is a person who is responsible for a particular place or thing, and for making sure that the
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laws or regulations that relate to it are obeyed.) of Barchester. There are several candidates and
opposing sides scheme against one another. In addition, this search is related to the novel's romantic
plot, for winning the hand of Eleanor Bold will have great political ramifications for any potential
warden. Eleanor had married John Bold, but we learn in Barchester Towers that Bold has died. Thus,
the search begins for a new husband. Three suitors emerge for Eleanor's hand: Slope, Bertie, and
Arabin. Eventually, and after much intrigue, Arabin and Eleanor are married, and peace is restored to
Barchester.
Detailed Summary of the novel
Barchester Towers is the chronicle of personal and political maneuvering within the Church of
England in the mid-nineteenth century. The story begins as one Bishop of Barchester dies and a new
bishop is selected. This new Bishop, Dr. Proudie, is led by his wife, Mrs. Proudie, and his domestic
chaplain(assistant Mr. Slope). Mrs. Proudie and Mr. Slope are determined to shake up the church
establishment in Barchester with a series of new policies and practices, including the formation of
Sabbath(a day of religious observance and abstinence from work, kept by Jewish people from Friday
evening to Saturday evening, and by most Christians on Sunday.), or Sunday schools. The established
clergy of Barchester, led by Archdeacon(An archdeacon is a high-ranking clergyman who works as an
assistant to a bishop, especially in the Anglican church.) Grantly, the son of the previous Bishop, are
equally determined to keep things as they have always been.
Tangled up in this church power struggle is Hiram's Hospital, a charitable establishment for retired
people. A new warden is to be appointed to run this hospital and both sides want to put one of their
own followers in this position. The Archdeacon wants to reappoint Dr. Harding, who held the
position previously before a newspaper scandal forced him to resign. Dr. Harding is also the father of
two daughters. The older daughter is Susan Grantly, who is married to the Archdeacon. The younger
is Eleanor Bold, a new widow with a baby and a small fortune.
At first Mrs. Proudie and Mr. Slope are united in their desire to appoint someone of their own group
to the position. This unity ends, however, as the two of them fight between themselves for control
over the Bishop. At first they work together to get the position for Mr. Quiverful, an extremely poor
preacher who has fourteen children and a very small income. Then Mr. Slope realizes that, because
of her money, he wants to try to marry Eleanor, and he switches alliances to support Mr. Harding.
This begins a struggle between Mrs. Proudie and Mr. Slope to get the Bishop to choose their
candidate.
Mr. Slope's interest in Eleanor has begun to worry her family, who think that she might consider
marrying Slope, a prospect that fills them with horror. Without consulting Eleanor, they discuss the
possible marriage behind her back and decide that if she does marry Slope, they will all refuse to see
her anymore. Eleanor, however, has no intention of marrying Slope and no idea that her family
thinks she will. She continues to see Mr. Slope because she feels it is wrong to be rude to him just
because he has different opinions about the church.
The next complication to enter the story is the return of the Stanhope family, which has been living
in Italy the last twelve years. Dr. Stanhope is also a preacher, but he has neglected his post in
England in order to live idly in Italy. His children have been raised in Italy and are very badly suited to
England. His oldest daughter Charlotte is trying to protect his only son, Bertie, who is lazy, good-
natured, and deeply in debt. His other daughter, Madeleine, is crippled from an accident involving
her now absent husband, Signor Neroni. She can't walk, is carried everywhere, and her only wish in
life is to seduce every man she meets. She refers to herself as "the signora." Soon after their arrival
to Barchester, two plots emerge. The first is the signora's seduction of Mr. Slope. The second is
Charlotte's plan for Bertie to try to marry Eleanor for her money.
In the ongoing power struggle between the Bishop's group and the Archdeacon, the Archdeacon has
decided to call in a respected Oxford scholar, Mr. Arabin, to help him fight for traditional church
values in Barchester by giving him the post of preacher at St. Ewold's, a small country church. Mr.
Arabin is an older, unmarried, and very honest man who quickly finds himself in love with Eleanor.
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While Eleanor's family is convinced she will marry Mr. Slope, Eleanor is actually growing closer to Mr.
Arabin. Eleanor and her family have a huge fight when the Archdeacon reveals their suspicions, and
they refuse to see each other for a while.
Meanwhile, the Bishop has awarded the warden position to Mr. Quiverful, therefore giving Mrs.
Proudie a victory and Mr. Slope a defeat. Mr. Slope is not discouraged, however, because a new
position as Dean of Barchester Cathedral has just become available. Mr. Slope is determined to gain
this new, important post. The Archdeacon's group is equally determined to keep him from getting
this position.
At a party to welcome Arabin to his new position at St. Ewold's, both Mr. Slope and Bertie Stanhope
propose to Eleanor, which upsets her because she had not realized either of the men thought that
she liked them in that way. Also at the party, the signora meets Mr. Arabin and decides, against her
usual character, that she will help him to marry Eleanor because she feels he is a good, honest man
incapable of being seduced. Two days after the party, the signora meets with Eleanor to tell her that
Mr. Arabin loves her. Eleanor loves Mr. Arabin but does not know what she should do about it. This
problem is solved when a wealthy neighborhood lady, Miss Thorne, invites both Eleanor and Mr.
Arabin to visit her at her country home. When they are left alone together, Mr. Arabin proposes and
Eleanor accepts.
Eleanor and Mr. Arabin return to town and announce their engagement. At the same time, Mr.
Harding has been informed that he has been chosen to be the new Dean. He turns down the
position and gets the church leaders to give it to Mr. Arabin instead. Mr. Slope leaves Barchester in
disgrace. Eleanor and Mr. Arabin get married and everyone is very happy for them.