The Portland daily press., 1883-01-10
Anthony Trollope.
london Spectator

lLonuOn SlectatorJ
or no other writer, living or dead, could it
be said, as may truly be said of him, that there
are many who know the word-chieay of
course, though not wholly, the English world
far better from what they have learnt of it
from his pages. than they would ever have
known of it from the lessons of personal expe-
rience. OF all varieties Of the English clergy
man, of all varieties OF the English squire, Of
almost all varieties of those who constitute the
hunting and racing world, of many varieties of
the English statesman and politician, of many
varities of the English barrster and solicitor,
of many varieties of the English civil seryart,
of not few varieties of the merchant, stock
broker, tradesman, commercial traveller, and
policeman, and of vast variety of mscelane-
Gus characters, Mr.. Trollope has left us inim
liable sketches SO minute and complete that
one can hardly distinguish those whom enc
has known in his pages from those whom one
knows in real life. He used to say of himself
that he had produced more volumes than any
other English writer of this or any other day
And though the claim has been challenged, it
is certainly true that no other writer who has
written SO much has missed bis mark SO seldom
as Mr.. TrOllope. His own nature was robust
aud confident, but he had a singular aptitude
fol depicting delicate and shrinking natures
whenever he attempted ii, though he succeed
ed better with men than with women. The
external forms of English society i'll the nine
teenth century are reflected in his stories with
singular clearness, minuteness and fidelity.
That Mr. Trollope's name will live in
English literature follows at once from the
fact that his books are at once agreeable TO
read and contain larger mass OF evidence as
to the character and aspects of English society
during Mr.. Trollope's maturity tina any 9TH
er writer OF his day has left behind him.
Ii is too soon, and would be mistake at the
present moment, when he has only just van-
ished from among us, to fix what his place in
English literature is likely to be. But we can
not think of him at all without remembering
the greater features of his literary work-the
ardent admiration with which he always
painted humility and unworldliness. like Mr..
Harding's or even Dean Arabin's in the rare
instances in which he represented them, and
the sense OF something like moral wonder with
which he regarded them; the profound respect
which be entertained for public spirit, like
that OF bis second Duke of Omnium," and
the charity With which he regarded the au-
thority of family traditions, even when waging
war against the sense Of justice in radically
just mind; the scorn which he felt for all the
knaveTy OF commercial rings aud at the same
time the keen insight with which he contem-
plated the snares and tolls of the speculative
commercial life; the Thorough appreciation
which he eviDced in such stories as "Phlneas
Finn" for the ties of party, as we'll as for the
obligations of individual honor, and the zest
With which he analysed the conflicts which
arise between them; the strength of his i'm
preston that almost every young man of his
day has facilitating heart, and that almost
every young woman is in danger of over-rul-
ing, for some strategic reason or other, wheth-
er interested or DISTINGUISHED, the strong in
stnets of herr own heart; the loathing with
which he regarded the passion OF jealousy in
men, and the dread which he evidently enter
tanned for the craftiness OF women; the deep
study he had given TO all the tactics of social
life, and the little account which he made of
the results of even the most skillful of these
tactics, when matched against the stronger
passions and interests of human nature.