Discussion: The Warden

Author: Anthony Trollope

Description: The Warden, the first novel in Anthony Trollope’s Chronicles of Barsetshire series, is a Victorian classic that examines morality, social reform, and ecclesiastical politics in the fictional cathedral town of Barchester. Published by Longman, it draws inspiration from real-life controversies, such as the 1849 inquiries into the Hospital of St Cross in Winchester, where excessive clerical incomes were scrutinized. Trollope’s narrative, blending gentle satire and psychological depth, critiques the Church of England, media sensationalism, and human nature’s complexities, earning praise from critics like George Orwell as one of his finest works. The story centers on Septimus Harding, a kind-hearted, widowed clergyman and precentor of Barchester Cathedral, who serves as warden of Hiram’s Hospital, an almshouse for twelve elderly bedesmen. The hospital, funded by a medieval bequest, provides Harding a comfortable income of £800 annually (about £108,404 in 2020), far exceeding the bedesmen’s modest allowances. John Bold, a young reformer and surgeon, questions the fairness of this allocation, sparking a public controversy fueled by the sensationalist newspaper The Jupiter. Bold’s campaign, though well-intentioned, pits him against Harding, despite his love for Harding’s younger daughter, Eleanor. Harding’s son-in-law, the ambitious Archdeacon Grantly, fiercely defends the Church’s traditional privileges, creating tension within the family and community.

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