I recently finished Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford, which is an almost slapstick depiction of Victorian sensibilities. I find it quite funny that people used to get so ruffled over things like, as you pointed out, being questioned by officers, or being associated with people who had made mistakes, grave or otherwise. I suppose in a way we have made progress in that we don't as easily condemn people for things like being in debt, though we've swung the opposite way and that's not great either...
This was interesting! Should I put The Eustace Diamonds on my list? I've never read Trollope.
My mother and I were saying almost the same thing after she read this—today's generations tend more toward the fault of having *no* shame, and it wouldn't hurt a lot of people to have a little more value for propriety and a good name, though without going to the Victorian extremes!
I do think you would enjoy Trollope, but I think his Chronicles of Barsetshire series is the best introduction to him (the first book, "The Warden," is very short, and "Barchester Towers" is basically a continuation of the story). "The Eustace Diamonds" is my favorite of the Palliser series so far (and it is one that doesn't really have to be read in order, though characters from previous books make an appearance), but the Barsetshire books are a little gentler in their satire and have a more lovable cast of characters.
I recently finished Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford, which is an almost slapstick depiction of Victorian sensibilities. I find it quite funny that people used to get so ruffled over things like, as you pointed out, being questioned by officers, or being associated with people who had made mistakes, grave or otherwise. I suppose in a way we have made progress in that we don't as easily condemn people for things like being in debt, though we've swung the opposite way and that's not great either...
This was interesting! Should I put The Eustace Diamonds on my list? I've never read Trollope.
My mother and I were saying almost the same thing after she read this—today's generations tend more toward the fault of having *no* shame, and it wouldn't hurt a lot of people to have a little more value for propriety and a good name, though without going to the Victorian extremes!
I do think you would enjoy Trollope, but I think his Chronicles of Barsetshire series is the best introduction to him (the first book, "The Warden," is very short, and "Barchester Towers" is basically a continuation of the story). "The Eustace Diamonds" is my favorite of the Palliser series so far (and it is one that doesn't really have to be read in order, though characters from previous books make an appearance), but the Barsetshire books are a little gentler in their satire and have a more lovable cast of characters.