The Warden

The first of Trollope’s Barsetshire novels, The Warden concerns the moral dilemma of the Reverend Septimus Harding, who finds himself at the centre of a bitter conflict between defenders of Church privilege and the reforming impulses of the mid-Victorian period. Appointed warden of an almshouse, he is given a comfortable salary from its founder’s will to oversee the institution and the small weekly incomes given to the men who live there. Mr. Harding’s disproportionate salary, however, becomes a source of concern for a local reformer who denounces the allocation of funds as a Church abuse.
Interweaving the complexities of the Victorian world, the novel draws on ecclesiastical scandals, criticizes the power of the press, satirizes the law, and examines the growing influence of London on provincial life. Based on the most authoritative text published during Trollope’s life, that of 1878, the Broadview edition also includes appendices with material relating to the novel’s genesis, Trollope’s revisions, the sources of his literary parody, the historical background to the novel’s topical references, its reception by contemporary critics, and Trollope’s views on the Church of England.

“Prepared with meticulous scholarship, and with a deep sympathy for Trollope himself, this edition has everything the student or the general reader could require. I recommend it unreservedly.” — T.T. Bareham, editor of The Barsetshire Novels: A Casebook and Anthony Trollope

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'You might pass Eleanor Harding in the street without notice, but you could hardly pass an evening with her and not lose your heart.'John Bold has lost his heart to Eleanor Harding but he is a political radical who has launched a campaign against the management of the charity of which her father is the Warden. How can this tangle be resolved? In the novel which is Trollope's first acknowledged masterpiece, the emotional drama is staged against the background of two major contemporary social issues: the inappropriate use of charitable funds and the irresponsible exercise of the power of the press. A witty love story, in the Jane Austen tradition, this is also an unusually subtle example of 'Condition of England' fiction, combining its charming portrayal of life in an English cathedral close with a serious engagement in larger social and political issues.The Warden is the first of the six books which form Trollope's Barsetshire series of novels. This edition also includes 'The Two Heroines of Plumplington' - the short story which Trollope added, just before his death, to provide a final episode in the annals of Barsetshire.ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Anthony Trollope: A Brief Chronology
A Note on the Text
The Warden
Appendix A: Trollope’s Revisions in the 1878 Edition of The Warden
Appendix B: Trollope’s Comments on the Genesis of The Warden
Appendix C: Sources of Parody: Thomas Carlyle and Charles Dickens
Appendix D: The Major Scandals alluded to in The Warden
Appendix E: The St Ervan’s Case
Appendix F: Leading Article in The Times on the St Ervan’s Case
Appendix G: Contemporary Reviews of The Warden

1. Examiner, 6 January 1855
2. Spectator, 6 January 1855
3. Athenaeum, 27 January 1855
4. Leader, 17 February 1855
5. Eclectic Review, March 1855

Appendix H: Trollope on Clergymen of the Church of England
Appendix I: Contemporary Views on The Times and the Press
Works Cited and Suggested Reading