Sunday, July 11, 2021

Back to the Classics Challenge 2021- Orley Farm

 “For many years this prosperous gentleman had lived at a small country house, some five-and-twenty miles from London, called Orley Farm. This had been his first purchase of land, and he had never given up his residence
there, although his wealth would have entitled him to the enjoyment of a larger establishment. On the birth of his youngest son, at which time his eldest was nearly forty years old, he made certain moderate provision for the infant, as he had already made moderate provision for his young wife; but it was then clearly understood by the eldest son that Orley Farm was to go with the Groby Park estate to him as the heir. When, however, Sir Joseph died, a codicil to his will, executed with due legal formalities, bequeathed Orley Farm to his youngest son, little Lucius Mason
.”

The above paragraph is the third one on page one, where Trollope sets up the major plot of the novel. That codicil to the will is contested but ultimately upheld and the mother of the infant Lucius Mason is able to keep Orley Farm for her child and away from the grasping hands of her angry and covetous adult stepson, Joseph Mason Jr. However, some 20 years later, the case is re-opened and the still beautiful Lady Mason isn’t so sure she has the strength to endure yet another lawsuit and trial. Lucius Mason has now reached his majority and wishes to be his mother’s defender in this matter and yet she refuses his assistance and instead relies on that of the family solicitor Mr. Furnival as well as that of their neighbor, Sir Peregrine Orme.   

Ultimately, the question is less is Lady Mason guilty of forgery or perjury and more will she be found guilty of such at the trial. One of the larger questions Trollope is looking at in this novel is the amorality of the law and whether a lawyer is supposed to care more about the truth and justice than they are about their client’s innocence or lack thereof in the eyes of the law. 

Also, of course, there are also multiple romantic subplots and much gentle humor among the handwringing drama. This is a Trollope novel, after all. I found it interesting that Trollope introduces some lower class characters into Orley Farm with the commercial travelers, Mr. Mr. Kantwise and Mr. Moulder. It isn’t unheard of in his novels, but usually he sticks quite closely to the upper middle and upper class in his books. Another interesting character normally not seen in a Trollope novel is the “moulded bride”, young Mary Snow, the low born fiancée of the impoverished yet brilliant lawyer, Felix Graham. Felix, who becomes part of Lady Mason's legal team, is involved in a sort of love quadrangle between himself, Mary Snow, the beautiful Madeline Staverly and young Perry Orne, grandson of Sir Percival. Also among the potential romances are the shenanigans of Lucius Mason and the wily and sly Sophia Furnival and Madeline's brother, Augustus.

I really enjoyed reading Orley Farm. It is a very long novel, but those are often my favorites from Trollope…wherein he introduces many subplots and characters with whom I can get acquainted and involved. There is also some nice continuity with other novels with Mr. Chaffenbrass, another member of Lady Mason's defense, who was previously seen lawyering in The Three Clerks and Phineas Redux.  

I totally gave in to my whim and read Trollope for the Back to Classics Challenge 2021 category “Classic by a Favorite Author”. Unfortunately, in this book as in so many others, Trollope betrays his ugly anti-Semitic attitude, which is a real black mark on him. Not uncommon for the time but I feel I should always call Tony out on this, because there were writers and other people of that era who were not nasty anti-Semites, regardless of the prevailing sentiment. Despite this flaw, Trollope remains next to Charles Dickens, my favorite Victorian novelist. Once a reader is in his thrall, there is no going back, I fear.

19 comments:

  1. Hi Ruthiella, Great review and the passage you quoted really makes we want to read Orley Farm. My first question is why wasn't Groby Park enough for the oldest son? Why did he spend all his energy trying to get the farm too? He felt betrayed by his father I guess but sounds like his father was quite generous to him in the will and he should have gone on with his life but couldn't. I have read The Way We Live Now and Trollope is a genius and though he has many plots and romantic entanglements going on in his novels the reader never gets lost. It's another example of what a brilliant writer he is but the anti-semitism as you say is a black mark on him.

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    1. Hi Kathy! If only humans were content with their lot in life. But then we would not have so many interesting novels to read, right? I loved The Way We Live Now and Trollope really does balance all his many plots and romances well in these long, fat novels of his. And to think he wrote most of his novels while working as a post master, often writing on train journeys!

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  2. This is a great review! I still haven't cracked open the Trollope on my TBR shelf. I'm supposed to be reading it this year, but I keep putting it off. If only it weren't quite so long!

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    1. Thanks Lark. I find that once I start a Trollope novel, I end up reading it fairly quickly since they are so plot driven. Don't let the length intimidate you! :D

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    2. Thanks for the encouragement! I need it. :D

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  3. This sounds complex on so many levels. It has been forever since I've read a Trollope and I wasn't even familiar with this title, but it does sound like Orley Farm takes an interesting look at legal and social matters!

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    1. Now that I've read Trollope's best known books, I am delving into all those which don't get as much press now-a-days. The guy wrote ALOT. Over 40 novels and I've only cracked the surface.

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  4. This does sound good. I'm not as much of a Trollope fan as you, but that only means I still have a lot of good ones to go!

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    1. I think this was as good as any of his better known titles. It was satisfyingly complex and Trollope isn't afraid of showing his characters' flaws while still keeping them sympathetic to the reader.

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  5. I haven't read Trollope for a while and hadn't heard of this one. Great review, Ruthiella!

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    1. Thank you! I am glad to have been able to introduce the title to you. I think I might try and read all of Trollope's novels...though he wrote a lot!

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  6. I've wanted to read this one but lawsuits and trials aren't that palatable to me at the moment. Still, Trollope is a master of the complexities of life. Great review! I will read this one but I'd like to get through his Palliser novels first.

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    1. I think finishing up the Palliser series before you move on to Trollope's stand-alones is a great approach. Some of my favorite of his characters are found in those books.

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  7. Hi Ruthiella! Excellent review as always and really reminds me of how much I love Trollope, although I haven't read him in quite some time (I actually re-purchased several of his novels that I weeded out when I moved! The shelves just seemed too bare without them). This one sounds like a top-tier Trollope novel. The downside for me, however, is that I really hate reading about legal proceedings. I'm afraid I know exactly how the law operates and I find it quite depressing to have my belief confirmed.
    Didn't you purchase a reference work on Trollope with your winnings from the Classic Challenge (2019 I think)? I went looking for this on the platform we all love to hate but couldn't find it. Have you come across John Mullen's The Artful Dickens? It's supposed to be a great examination of Dickens' novels. I'm seriously considering making a major effort next year to give one of your very fav authors a second chance to win me over.
    On a superficial level, the situation in Orley Farm reminded me a bit of Austen's Sense & Sensibility's opening, i.e., the older half-brother of the Dashwood sisters, after inheriting all the lolly and knowing this was unfair, descends from an intention of sharing the inheritance, to doing something "handsome" for the girls, to sending them the occasional gift of game, or some such! At least he didn't sue them!

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    1. Hi Janakay. Well, Trollope isn't exactly John Grisham. LOL There isn't too much nitty gritty about the law because of all the romance and the whole drama of Lady Mason's conscience. Still, there is plenty of other Trollope novels to read if you want to skip this one.

      I listened to John Mullen passionately go to the mat for Dickens in a wonderful performance featuring many famous actors (and Simon Schama arguing for Tolstoy) on the YouTube channel Intelligence Squared (just google Dickens vs Tolstoy and it should pop up). I really should read his book. I am sure I would get a lot out of it. I did buy a second hand copy of the Oxford Reader's Companion to Trollope. You can probably find a copy on Abe Books (a subsidiary of Amazon) since it is possibly out of print now. This is more an encyclopedia and I do use it, most recently for this post! I looked up the novels where Mr. Chaffenbrass had previously appeared!

      No worries if Dickens just isn’t your cup of tea. There are authors that other readers are over the moon about (Angela Carter, Marilynne Robinson, Jeffery Eugenides, Michael Chabon etc.) where I think they are fine but I don’t feel the same rhapsody when I read their works. I wish I could, because I do get caught up in the enthusiasm expressed by other readers.

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  8. Ruthiella: thanks for the info, I'll definitely start looking for the Oxford Companion. I've used abebooks fairly often, especially for out of print stuff. Thanks BTW as well for the tip you gave me previously about Blackwell's! I've ordered several things from them (mostly still unread at this point!) and been quite pleased.
    It's funny/odd, isn't it, how the object of one reader's enthusiasm is another reader's "meh"? I've tried Angela Carter a few times, unsuccessfully, but keep thinking the fault is in me. Eugenides, well -- just can't see it (The Virgin Suicides left me baffled). Chabon is someone I've avoided, just on instinct, which is quite unfair. I should at least make an effort and read one of his books before putting him in the "meh" category.
    I do love Trollope; if you're in a 19th century mode there is no one better. I'm thinking, half-seriously, about re-reading the Palliser series, or at least the first volume.
    You'll never guess what I'm reading now! (add a few exclamation points) Sir Gawain and the Green Knight! I haven't looked at this since my college days; fortunately there's a much more accessible translation now. I hope to see the movie, at a movie theater (yeah!) this weekend. I've read a few reviews and it might actually be worth watching, although of course it'll have nothing whatsoever to do with the original poem!

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    1. Hi Janakay! I'm pleased to know that using Blackwells is working well for you. 😀 It is interesting when I hear or read a passionate review of an author's work and my response is less enthusiastic. When the shoe is on the other foot, it is hard sometimes not to take it personally. And yet it's all such a matter of personal taste. But we readers sometimes get emotionally attached to our books and authors. I can tell you of the four Chabon novels I've read, I liked Moonglow best.

      I encourage you to reread some Trollope and report back! I'm not a big re-reader, though I have reread a couple Austen and Dickens titles and really enjoyed the experience.

      I had no idea Sir Gwain was being turned in to a film. I am pretty sure I read it in college. I was big into Authurian literature and myths at that time. You are right! I never would have guessed. 😄

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  9. I thought Trollope would make more of Lucius Mason's experiments in guano for agricultural use and Mrs. Joseph Mason’s pain-in-the-neck daughters. But those comic lines weren't pursued. Adding to lengthy length are six marriage proposals. Six, for the luvva Mike. I found realistic that characters were constantly acting on judgments that they thought were correct but in fact were dead wrong.

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    1. You know, I read Dr. Whortle's School by Trollope, which is super short, earlier this year and I think I missed the bulk of a "typical" Trollope novel. LOL It only had TWO romantic subplots.

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