'I wished to express the depth of my scorn for women who run down husbands, an offence that I do fear is gaining ground in this country.'
So wrote Trollope of Arabella Trefoil, the beautiful anti-heroine of The American Senator (1876-7), some months after completing the novel.
His main concern is with materialism, seen through the eyes of Mr Gotobed, an American senator who is invited to the small country town of Dillsborough. There, during one winter season, he observes English country life in all its social aspects, from the richest of peers to the poorest of farmers. He witnesses intrigue, romance, and Arabella Trefoil's determined stalking of the wealthy but elusive Lord Rufford while still engaged to a diplomat, John Morton. Arabella emerges as one of Trollope's most vivid protagonists, in a novel that is an indictment of the materialism of Victorian England.
Edited with an Introduction and Notes by John Halperin
About the Author
Anthony Trollope (24 April 1815 - 6 December 1882) was an English novelist of the Victorian era. Among his best-known works is a series of novels collectively known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire, which revolves around the imaginary county of Barsetshire. He also wrote novels on political, social, and gender issues, and other topical matters. Trollope's literary reputation dipped somewhat during the last years of his life, but he had regained the esteem of critics by the mid-20th century.
