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In a quiet cathedral town, a bishop’s death sets off a very lively struggle for power.
Archdeacon Grantly expects to succeed his father as bishop of Barchester. Instead, Dr Proudie arrives with a formidable wife and an ambitious chaplain, Mr Slope. Old loyalties come under pressure as the newcomers challenge the cathedral’s habits. Gentle Mr Harding wants peace and honest dealing, but neither side leaves him alone.
Meanwhile, Harding’s daughter Eleanor Bold, a young widow with a child and an income, attracts several admirers. She wants to direct her own life. Around her, love affairs, money troubles and the visiting Stanhope family complicate an already crowded contest. Anthony Trollope turns church politics into warm social comedy, asking what people will do for influence, security and command.
What you’ll discover
- A palace under command Meet Mrs Proudie, whose firm convictions reach into appointments, conduct and the keeping of Sundays.
- Ambition in the pulpit Watch Mr Slope turn a cathedral sermon into an attack on its established ways.
- A widow’s own wishes Follow Eleanor Bold as competing admirers crowd around her wish to choose for herself.
- Unexpected guests and pleasures Enjoy a splendid garden party and the Stanhopes, whose arrival upsets carefully laid plans.
- A narrator beside you Share a direct, companionable voice that finds comedy without losing sympathy for flawed people.
Who will love it
Readers who love comedy of manners, shrewd portraits of vain and kindly people, and church and village politics will enjoy this novel. It also suits lovers of tender romance.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Grief and ambition share a bedside
- A quiet charity invites a struggle
- Mrs. Proudie holds the real power
- Slope turns the pulpit into a weapon
- The Stanhopes make charm a power
- The hospital exposes competing desires
- Eleanor faces suitors and mistaken judgments
- Power reaches beyond official positions
- Ambition and decency live together
Who’s who
- Archdeacon GrantlyProud, worldly son of the dead bishop, who guards the old church order and fights the new palace party with all his strength.
- Mr. HardingGentle precentor and former warden of Hiram's Hospital, who wants peace, music, and his old home, and hates to be talked about.
- Dr. ProudieThe new Bishop of Barchester, a tidy and cautious man who wants high church honors and finds it hard to resist his wife.
- Mrs. ProudieThe bishop's wife, strict about the Sabbath and determined to govern the diocese through her husband and her favored clergymen.
- Mr. SlopeThe bishop's chaplain, a clever and clammy preacher who wants power, a rich wife, and a better post.
- Eleanor BoldMr. Harding's younger daughter, a young widow with a baby, proud and independent, who wants to help her father and live in peace.
- Signora NeroniThe lame, beautiful daughter of Dr. Stanhope, who collects admirers from her sofa and finds clergymen entertaining.
- Mr. ArabinA learned Oxford fellow, shy in company, brought to Barchester to oppose Slope, and unexpectedly lonely.
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Barchester Towers
by Anthony Trollope · 1857
A bishop lies dying, and his son kneels to pray, then sends a telegram to claim the seat before it vanishes.
Challenging10–20 hours to read20 languages
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In short
Why would a man kneel beside his dying father to pray for forgiveness, then rise and send a telegram to London within the hour? In Barchester Towers, Archdeacon Grantly does exactly that.
Barchester Towers at a glance
- Reading time
- About 12 h 40 min10 h 5 min fast, 15 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 181,500 words
- Library level
- Challenging long sentences, a rich vocabulary
- First published
- 1857by Anthony Trollope
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A bishop's deathbed starts the race for power
The novel opens at the bedside of old Bishop Grantly, who is dying so slowly that doctors keep announcing the end and keep being wrong. His son, Archdeacon Grantly, has long run the diocese and has been given to understand, by a whisper rather than a promise, that he will succeed his father. The trouble is that the government that whispered is about to fall.
The archdeacon sits by the bed and calculates his chances like a gambler. Then he asks himself whether he truly wants his father to die, and the question shames him. He sinks to his knees and prays to be forgiven. The old bishop dies without a struggle, yet the archdeacon's mind jumps at once to the prime minister and a telegram. Before it goes, Mr. Harding remembers that the government is already out, and the post goes to Dr. Proudie.
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1857
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 14 h 35 min
- Level
- Challenging
Cite this edition
Trollope, Anthony. Barchester Towers. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/barchester-towers.
Trollope, A. (2026). Barchester towers. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/barchester-towers (Original work published 1857)
Trollope, Anthony. Barchester Towers. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/barchester-towers.
@book{trollope2026barchester,
author = {Trollope, Anthony},
title = {Barchester Towers},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/barchester-towers},
note = {First published 1857}
}
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What is Barchester Towers about?
It follows a struggle for power in a cathedral town after a new bishop arrives with a strong-willed wife and a pushy chaplain. The old clergy resist, and a hospital post, a deanery, and a young widow's hand all become prizes.
Do I need to read The Warden first?
No. Barchester Towers recalls the earlier events briefly in its opening chapters, so you can start here. Readers who know Mr. Harding's story from The Warden will enjoy meeting him again, but the novel stands on its own.
Who is Mr. Slope and what does he want?
Obadiah Slope is the bishop's chaplain, a low church preacher who wants real control of the diocese. He also hopes to marry a rich widow and win a high church post such as the deanery.
The author
Anthony Trollope
1815–1882 · English Victorian novelist
Anthony Trollope (1815–1882) was an English novelist. He was born in London, lived in Ireland for many years, and later returned to England. He worked for the Post Office while writing novels. His books include The Warden (1855), Barchester Towers (1857), and Doctor Thorne (1858). He died in London.
More by Anthony Trollope
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