1815: Anthony Trollope - Chronicles of Barsetshire III: Doctor Thorne

Doctor Thorne (1858) is the third novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the "Chronicles of Barsetshire".

It is mainly concerned with the romantic problems of Mary Thorne, niece of Doctor Thomas Thorne, a member of a junior branch of the family of Mr Wilfred Thorne, who appeared in Barchester Towers, and Frank Gresham, the only son of the local squire, although Trollope as the omniscient narrator assures the reader at the beginning that the hero is really the doctor.

Major themes of the book are the social pain and exclusion caused by illegitimacy, the nefarious effects of the demon drink, and the difficulties of romantic attachments outside one's social class. The novel also gives a vivid picture of electioneering and all the just-legal shenanigans that accompany the event. Most of the action takes place in a village of Barsetshire and a country house not far off.

I just finished this and found it a delightful and in many ways surprising read. Having an illegitimate girl as heroine and see her happily married at the end was not something I expected in a Victorian novel. He's very direct regarding the evils of drink. It is also a very intimate, domestic setting, hardly ever leaving the village.

This Barsetshire novel doesn't involve any of Trollope's previous novels but it does take place in Barsetshire and introduces a variety of interesting characters. Essentially, it is a tale of love, of class, and of family conflicts.

There is Dr. Thorne himself, a country doctor who has adopted his niece Mary. Mary has a sordid history, which Dr. Thorne keeps hidden. Long ago, his brother conceived a child out of wedlock and was killed by the woman's brother, Roger Scatcherd. That was Mary, and Dr. Thorne kept her out his town until she was 10, and then brought her to his house, having told Roger that she had died as an infant. At the time of the story, Mary is a young woman and Frank Gresham, the son of the most important family in the area, has fallen in love with her, much to the dismay of his mother, who is a DeCourcy (a noble family), and his father, who has mortgaged much of his land and indeed sold some, as they feel Frank needs to marry money. Roger Scatcherd, when he got out of jail for killing Dr. Thorne's brother, got into railroad construction and was so successful (making tons of money) that he, despite his low origins, was made a baronet, so he is now Sir Roger -- and a drunkard.

The stage is set for conflict! Dr. Thorne seems to have forgiven Sir Roger for killing his brother, for he is his doctor and "friend," constantly trying to get him to give up drinking, which is on the road to killing him. In fact, Sir Roger makes him the executor of his will and trustee for his son, Louis, until he is 25 (he is 22 or so) who will inherit all his money and property -- eventually. If Louis, who is also a drunkard without the strong constitution of Roger, dies before he is 25, the money will go to his sister's oldest child who, unbeknownst to Roger, is Mary. Dr. Thorne begs him to specify the name of the oldest child, but Roger refuses. At that point the reader knows what is going to happen. Eventually, as Roger is dying, Dr. Thorne tells him that Mary is alive and the oldest child, but Roger only adds a codicil stating that the only person who knows the sister's oldest child is Dr. Thorne.

While all this, and more is happening, the romance between Frank and Mary is heating up and they become engaged, much to the horror of his mother, who is disturbed by Mary's ambiguous birth and rank compared to hers, as a De Courcy, and the family of Gresham, as well as by her lack of money. Frank is encouraged to fall in love with a woman with money, despite the fact that her father was a successful merchant, and the oldest daughter is engaged to a man with money, who ultimately throws her over. Many many complications ensue.

This was a delightful book, made more entertaining by some of the names Trollope gives to people, including a law firm of Slow and Bideawhile! As always, Trollope has deep insight into character and tells a compelling tale. I missed some of the characters from the earlier novels, but I hope some of the characters from this novel will appear in future novels.