The American Senator Anthony Trollope 9781517655068 Books
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The American Senator is a novel by Anthony Trollope. Notable for its depictions of rural English life and for its many detailed fox hunting scenes. In its anti-heroine, Arabella Trefoil, it presents a scathing but ultimately sympathetic portrayal of a woman who has abandoned virtually all scruples in her quest for a husband. Through the eponymous Senator, Trollope offers comments on the irrational aspects of English life.
The American Senator Anthony Trollope 9781517655068 Books
This novel is a mixed bag of romantic fiction and social critique. After a slow start (outlining relationships and the social setting) the plot romps along at the pace of a boisterous foxhunt, and the characters, both noble and unscrupulous, become engaging and entertaining.The typical thread of romantic fiction where a seemingly unconquerable barrier exists between lovers is overcome in the final chapter, is paralleled by the opinions of the American Senator who cannot believe the inequality that exists in the justice, parliamentary and religious systems (to name a few) that prevail in 19th century England. In the end all is resolved on the romantic front, but the injustices brought to light by the American Senator remain to this day.
I read this novel with an eye to news of the presidential primaries being run in the US today, I can only guess that Trollope's fictional American visitor would be now turning in his grave at changes to his own country where an aristocracy based on money has replaced the meritocracy he preached.
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The American Senator Anthony Trollope 9781517655068 Books Reviews
The American Senator of the title is a stuffy, boring old man who wants to understand English politics and morality but also wants to impose his own morality upon the English. Sadly, the book could have been far more exciting without this character. On the other hand, the characters remaining are interesting enough. This book is mainly about love, or about the pursuit of love or fortune. The scheming and penniless Arabella Trefoil is engaged to a man who we quickly see is far too good for her, and what he sees in her beyond her remote beauty is a big question that is never quite resolved. However, wanting a fortune, she maintains her engagement in private while denying it in public, thus finding herself able to pursue the local squire, Lord Rufford, who is also taken with her beauty but on advice of friends, becomes reluctant to truly woo Arabella. Social interactions between all these parties, including their antecedents, are quite interesting and fill a good portion of the book. On the other hand, another love affair of lesser merit but far more honesty is that of Mary Masters and Reginald Morton, a romance against the Masters' family wishes who pressure both her and the unfortunate Larry Twentyman to make a match. Intrigues from minor characters, plots and subplots, though rather too much mention and detail of fox hunting, still this is a fun read.
All of the underlying themes of Trollope's work are in this book; (1) the underlying strength of women; (2) the weakness of men; (3) and the portrayal of how people manipulate, or attempt to manipulate each other.
This book has well-developed characters - as always with Trollope, including a young woman who is seeking to marry a rich man, a rich lord, two rich men who are members of the upper class (but one rung below the lord), a successful farmer, a lawyer, an heiress and a couple of nice people. The book has two successful love stores (Reginald/Mary and Rufford/Penge) and three failed love stories (Twentyman/Masters; Trefoil/Rufford and Trefoil/Morton). It deals honestly with the emotions of all concerned. Every scene is put together with the thoughtful approach of Trollope, who never lets any strand of the plot dangle.
What makes this book unusual is Senator Gotobed, who is on a visit from America. The Senator speaks frankly about everything and often offends his English hosts. His comments bring buried tensions to the surface. I ended up admiring the Senator because of his fearlessness and outspokenness. He is, of course, ridiculous and Trollope was having a bit of fun by introducing him to the story.
I thank for reprinting this book for all Trollope lovers who want rare and reliable verbal pictures of 19th century England. Trollope takes a "few country families" as Jane Austen said and shows them hunting (with satisfying details) courting and fighting and trying to put up with an obnoxious American senator who never tires of explaining how unwise, inefficient, they all are in everything they do.
The only flaw is all the unnecessary facts about thickets of old families and other things that could be removed by a very good editor or put up with by true Trollope lovers.
Speaking of length, I hope this review is not too short.
Barbara Huston
I have noted Trollope's penchant for sloppiness in my review of Rachel Ray. As I noted there, one must make allowences for this author -- given the astonishing number of novels he wrote and the serialized format he wrote in. But it does tend to annoy, as does Trollope's tendency to repeat himself. Again, the result of the serialization, no doubt. One must also make allowences because Trollope wants to say so much and so much of what he says is important. In this novel, for example, he performs an intellectual tour-de-force by adopting the view of a brash (and annoying) American Senator in order to criticize English culture -- especially the meager results of the Reform movement and the quaint tradition in his day of purchasing clerical livings. It is quite astonishing to watch Trollope pull it off! There are also the other pet Trollope themes, including the role of women in Victorian society, the demise of Victorian values, and a relentless attack on the growing ills of materialism. Those themes may sound a bit like Chicken Little to one who has not read Trollope. But they are serious and seriously persued by this man who saw well beneath the surfact of capitalism and was not blinded by the smoke from the steam engine.
This novel is a mixed bag of romantic fiction and social critique. After a slow start (outlining relationships and the social setting) the plot romps along at the pace of a boisterous foxhunt, and the characters, both noble and unscrupulous, become engaging and entertaining.
The typical thread of romantic fiction where a seemingly unconquerable barrier exists between lovers is overcome in the final chapter, is paralleled by the opinions of the American Senator who cannot believe the inequality that exists in the justice, parliamentary and religious systems (to name a few) that prevail in 19th century England. In the end all is resolved on the romantic front, but the injustices brought to light by the American Senator remain to this day.
I read this novel with an eye to news of the presidential primaries being run in the US today, I can only guess that Trollope's fictional American visitor would be now turning in his grave at changes to his own country where an aristocracy based on money has replaced the meritocracy he preached.
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